Colleges need to do more for low-income students during first days on campus
Corey Henry | Photo Editor
For students at universities across the nation, including Syracuse University, the first days on campus can be marred by a barrage of inhospitable obstacles.
Many students envision the first days of college to look pretty idyllic — scenes of involvement fairs and syllabi, and first year students clueless but excited for the next four years of their lives.
Yet, for many low-income and first-generation college students, this is not the case. For students at universities across the nation, including Syracuse University, the first days on campus can be marred by a barrage of inhospitable obstacles. We need to change that.
“The first couple of days are the most imperative for students, especially for [low-income and first generation] students,” said Robin Maxile, a Ph.D. student in the School of Education’s Cultural Foundation program and an expert in the relationship between school policies and underrepresented communities.
Most college admissions offices have begun to make a concerted effort to create a more economically diverse student body. Still, universities tend to fall short when it comes to actually making all admitted students feel welcome once they arrive at school.
“So many people don’t know the difference between diversity and inclusion,” Maxile said.
“Diversity is just letting a variety of people on campus, but that doesn’t mean they are included. You have to work, and keep working, to create inclusion.”
-Robin Maxile, Ph.D. student in the School of Education
If you search the phrase “low-income students” on SU’s website, you will find several articles praising the university’s admission of low-income students, but fewer programs for them to participate in once they arrive on campus. The university provides early move-in for first-generation college freshmen, and TheFirst, a student-run organization, provides a space for first generation students to discuss their experiences at Syracuse.
While the absence of beneficial programming can have a detrimental impact on low-income and first generation students, inaccessible university facilities can be just as harmful, if not more so.
“One thing that [SU] is working on right now is the dining halls,” said Maxile, who also works in the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
The issue of accessible dining options on campus is an important one, since many dining halls close before students have the opportunity to actually eat at them. Low-income students are particularly impacted by this issue. Many students who work after class are doing so until eight or nine at night, at which point most campus dining options are closed. Even participating in clubs or taking certain classes can keep students from finding time to eat dinner. This leaves students searching for off-campus options, many of which are too expensive. For low-income students, this can mean going without.
Karleigh Merritt-Henry | Digital Design Editor
Hunger on college campuses is well documented, and it impacts students across the nation. Despite the fact that all students living on campus are required to purchase dining packages, many are unable to use them due to limited hours, and struggle to find other affordable ways to eat.
“If you’re worried about where your next meal comes from, you can’t focus on the other elements of the college transition,” Maxile said. “You’re starting your college career from a disadvantage.”
Purchasing textbooks presents another difficulty for low-income students. With no knowledge of how much the books for their courses will cost until they receive a syllabus, students have a limited capacity to budget and prepare for the expense. And in many cases, they are given only a few days to obtain the book, meaning that comparing prices, searching for used copies or checking a variety of retailers may not be an option.
The reality is that low-income students are being academically punished for their financial situation. If they do not have the money available for the book, they’re unable to complete assignments that students who can afford the book are already working on. It can be easy to fall behind and become overwhelmed.
“Mental health is such an issue,” Maxile said. “When students don’t feel supported by their school, absenteeism, not getting involved, all of these things end up happening. It affects the student’s ability to focus, to hone in on their priorities, because their priority becomes something other than school. Their priority becomes coping with depression.”
While SU and other universities across the nation are making strides in improving the amount and quality of mental health resources available on campus, addressing the root of these problems is a crucial step, particularly when university policies are part of the issue.
Expanding the dining hall hours is possible. Publishing a list of required course texts before students get on campus is possible. Recognizing that these are both accessibility and mental health issues is possible.
Students should not have to choose between a guest lecture and a meal or between credit card debt and completed homework. It’s time to ensure that every student welcomed on this campus is being given the same institutional support they deserve — that no one is being held back before they even have a chance to succeed.
It’s time for Syracuse, and universities across the nation, to do that work.
Sydney Gold is a freshman policy studies and public relations major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at segold@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter @Sydney_Eden.
Published on September 10, 2019 at 12:04 am
