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New York state has expanded food stamp eligibility to include part-time and remedial students in SUNY colleges and universities, as well as technical schools. 

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced the expansion in early February. Students previously needed to be caring for a child, unable to work due to a disability or eligible for 20 hours of federal work-study each week to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP provides monthly supplements for purchasing foods, allocated depending on household size, income and expenses.

In a survey conducted last year, only 23% of eligible students considered applying for SNAP, Malatras said in a press release. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office reported in October that there were 2.8 million SNAP recipients in the state, which was an 8% increase from the year prior. 

“Today’s expansion will allow our dedicated students to focus on their academic pursuits and career goals instead of where they will get their next meal,” Malatras said in a statement. “No one should have to choose between hunger and the hope of pursuing an education.”

Under the latest COVID-19 stimulus package, students eligible for assistance received a 15% increase in their monthly food benefits that began in January and will run until the end of June. 

Anne Bellows, a professor of food studies at Syracuse University, believes that New York state lawmakers should prioritize feeding programs in colleges and universities as they do for primary and secondary public schools.

“It could likewise subsidize diverse kinds of university feeding options as is done in many post-secondary educational institutions around the world,” Bellows said. “Schools can also consider their contracts with the companies that provide dining room services and charge huge amounts for meals.”

Last March, SU students studying public health at the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion conducted a study on the impact of a person’s life if they were enrolled in SNAP. The research found that SNAP participation leads to decreased risk of early death, particularly from alcoholism or suicide. 

More than 12% of people between the ages of 20 and 29 were enrolled in SNAP and more than 40 million Americans received financial assistance in 2018, the study found.

“Even with access to federally subsidized loans, we have an unfair, elitist approach to who gets an education,” Bellows said. “An equal right to basic, economic security that includes a right to education as well as a right to food and nutrition is not what we have, it is what we need to claim and work toward.”

Osei Agyeman, the Foster Youth College Success Initiative coordinator at the Office of Opportunity Programs for SUNY schools, works with students to combat food insecurity. 

The initiative, which began in 2015, helps students with tuition and fees, meals, books, housing, transportation and other essential expenses. He believes the program will help students focus on their education without having to worry about food insecurity. 

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More stories on food insecurity in New York:

• Food insecurity, demand on SU pantries rise due to pandemic’s financial tolls
• New York expands food assistance for low-income households
• Food stamp cut to exclude some New York residents

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“Being an individual who’s worked in this field for some time, there can never be enough help, but the SNAP announcement will help fill a lot of gaps,” Agyeman said. “I’m grateful that  Governor Cuomo and Chancellor Malatras have put that in place.” 

Agyeman said that the SNAP expansion will help students amid uncertainty caused by the pandemic. 

“COVID has really challenged education on so many levels, and I believe access to meals should be made readily available with substantial discretion to those in need,” Agyeman said.

Published on March 2, 2021 at 11:12 pm

Contact Benjamin: beschill@syr.edu