The prevalence of food insecurity among college students has received little attention in academic literature, despite previous studies suggesting increased risk and potentially high rates of food insecurity among students. Additionally, the combined effects of financial and food management skills and resources have not been considered when examining student food security. A sample of 557 undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States was surveyed to assess food security and its risk factors. Data were analysed based on sociodemographic characteristics, food security status, select financial factors, cooking self-efficacy and food management resources and skills. Prevalence of food insecurity among this sample of students was approximately 14%, comparable to national estimates. Results from probit regression analyses suggested that food security status was significantly associated with food resource adequacy. The model also highlighted the importance of several financial factors, including financial independence, familial financial support, receipt of financial or food assistance, budgeting behaviours, credit card ownership and exogenous shock. These data provide insights into the nature of food insecurity on a large college campus and fill a significant gap in the current literature by addressing relevant financial factors. The data are particularly salient due to two factors facing students at the sampled university during the period of study: (1) uncertain economic climate at the national and local level; and (2) the local area was recently affected by a significant natural disaster. Such data are useful to student affairs personnel who may wish to provide resources to assist students who are at risk for food insecurity.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

This project merged experiential learning, a service project, and one discipline’s accreditation requirement for a human-centered design curriculum to engage students in designing for different user groups. The project followed a semester where students were required to engage with the community they were designing for. Ten service hours were required as a part of the course to familiarize the students with the venue and its residents of their local Veterans Affairs hospital. Upon the start of the subsequent semester, students requested further interaction with the veteran population they had come to know. As a means of exploring programming, a studio project was modified to fulfill their request, allowing them to further engage with the veteran population they had served through exhibit design. Though the studio course did not have an official service-learning course designation, by the end of the semester and, at the students’ direction, their project transcended the traditional mold of service learning by evolving organically based on experiential outcomes. By its end, the course’s objectives were met through the production of a full-scale, professionally designed museum exhibit honoring the veterans the students had come to love during their service experience. The exhibit was displayed numerous times before it found its final resting point in the VA hospital lobby. This engagement experience demonstrated that perhaps a more student-driven approach to engaged scholarship opportunities in the design disciplines could have transformative value for both learners and community members.