skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, February 14, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Food Insecurity, Mental Health are Challenges for VA College Students

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 20, 2022   

Community college students in Virginia still face food insecurity a year after survey data shows the COVID pandemic created greater challenges due to economic and other disruptions.

Data from the state's 23 community colleges in 2021 showed one in three students self-reported food insecurity, or being unsure where their next meal is coming from.

While more needs to be done, said Van Wilson, associate vice chancellor for student experience and strategic initiatives for the Virginia Community College System, food programs went online and remained available for students during the pandemic. He said that and other changes led to the discovery of a key additional service that was needed.

"Exacerbated by the pandemic was the need for mental-health services," he said. "Our board had a policy that prohibited institutions from providing those types of services, and they only could do that through community-based organizations."

Last November, he said, the board reversed that policy and schools were able to deploy telehealth services for mental health. The survey also showed 42% of Virginia students reported housing insecurity, and 10% had experienced homelessness in the previous 12 months.

Wilson said more needs to be done to address college hunger, including help for students before they even get to college, such as expanding free and reduced-price lunch programs in high schools.

"A student who is facing a challenge as a high school student, in order to be successful in the post-secondary environment," he said, "they need some of those same kind of services that they are accustomed to in that K-through-12 space, to support them moving forward."

The nonprofit Swipe Out Hunger recently collected data from schools in every state, finding campus pantries play a more central and vital role in student life than ever, with almost half of school food pantries launching in the last five years.


Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
In 2023, the Biden administration ordered a Bakersfield oil company to remove old oil rigs from Carrizo Plain National Monument in Central California. (Bob Wick/BLM)

Environment

play sound

Groups that fight to protect public lands are criticizing the Trump administration's new review of all oil, gas and mining on public lands. National …


Environment

play sound

This weekend, Virginians will participate with other birders around the world in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …

Environment

play sound

This weekend, birders across the world, including in Maryland, will participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …


A new study looking at drought impacts on grasslands found that such lands in China saw a 43% reduction in annual productivity, compared with just a 25% reduction in North America under the same conditions. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Grasslands are considered a vital component of South Dakota's landscape. But on the heels of new research, an expert suggests they might not fare as …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota is little less than a year away from launching its paid-leave law, but state lawmakers are debating whether to delay the start until 2027…

In its next contract, the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Program faculty union is looking for "reasonable" class sizes and for teachers to easily access remote learning tools when needed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A New York City music school's faculty is back in the classroom after a weeklong strike. The Manhattan School of Music's Precollege Program faculty …

Social Issues

play sound

A New York bill would require schools to teach about the Jan. 6 insurrection. The bill calls for all K-12 students to be taught about the event…

Health and Wellness

play sound

An Atlanta-based group is making sure more people have access to an unconventional but effective treatment for their moderate mental health challenges…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021