Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lessons on Collecting Data and Driving Change to Support Student Parent Success

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 7d

Student Parent Month might be over—but until we see structural change, our support must continue. Join us at this @urbaninstitute.bsky.social webinar to learn more about how your college can collect data and support students. www.urban.org/events/lesso...

The Data-to-Action Campaign for Parenting Students has generated new insights into how to identify parenting students and advance their success. The Urban In…

www.urban.org

NASFAA | Basic Needs, Real Costs: The Price Beyond Tuition

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 8d

In this piece by Cristian Ulisses Reyes at @nasfaa.bsky.social, he summarizes the current understanding of student basic needs insecurity and gives a brave and insightful look into his own journey. We commend him—we need both data and narrative to support students. www.nasfaa.org/news-item/37...

www.nasfaa.org

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The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 9d

Our @markhuelsman.bsky.social sat down with @hechingerreport.org to talk about College Housing Northwest's ingenious housing support for students—converting an old hotel into low-cost housing. hechingerreport.org/from-pony-so...

How an old hotel shows one solution to community college student housing insecurity

Some universities, colleges and nonprofits are attempting to address one of the fastest-growing problems in higher education: rising housing costs and housing insecurity among college students.

hechingerreport.org

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 9d

In a rapidly changing higher education landscape, we need supports that are accessible, sustainable, and creative to combat funding cuts. College Housing Northwest has been working on just that.

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 10d

And we leave you with this, a link to the full newsletter and words of wisdom from musician and author Naomi Littlebear:

mailchi.mp/temple/sept-...

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 10d

Our Sara Abelson, among a host of other scholars, created this enlightening report on the state of mental health in Michigan—shedding light on the availability and accessibility of mental health services for students at Michigan’s community colleges.

mentalhealthcc.org/wp-content/u...

mentalhealthcc.org

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 10d

We’ve gone many places over the summer, seen many amazing colleagues, and been inspired by their work. You can read more about it all in the full newsletter.

Aligned Data Collection on Student Basic Needs and Financial Wellness

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 10d

We’re also excited about a new partnership with the fantastic Trellis Strategies to align our data collection efforts so we all have a better sense of what students face & how we can better support them. hope.temple.edu/newsroom/sta...

The Hope Center Joins Forces with Kentucky to Scale Student Basic Needs Support

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 10d

We’re announcing an exciting partnership with Kentucky! We’re working with @kycpe.bsky.social
and KYSSC to train basic needs coordinators, support their campuses in stigma-reducing comms efforts, and advise them on building new tools to combat BNI. hope.temple.edu/kentucky-stu...

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 10d

Join us & distinguished partners on October 28, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST for a webinar where we’ll discuss the implications of OBBB on students’ basic needs security: temple.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 10d

It’s been a while since our last newsletter! This summer featured an overwhelming set of policy changes on issues that deeply impact student basic needs security. In our first fall dispatch, we dive into our advocacy & other nation-wide efforts to support students: 🧵👇

USDA cancels survey tracking how many Americans struggle to get enough food

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 15d

The decision to end the Household Food Security Report comes as Congress has made deep cuts to the SNAP program and made it harder to access and maintain benefits. www.npr.org/2025/09/22/n...

The Department of Agriculture said it will end a longstanding annual food insecurity survey. Experts say the move will obscure the effects of recent changes that will lead to people losing food aid.

www.npr.org

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The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 15d

Ending food insecurity requires timely, reliable data on how many Americans struggle to put food on the table. The Trump Administration’s decision to end the USDA’s Household Food Security Report will make it incredibly difficult to measure and reverse the campus hunger crisis.

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The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 16d

This community college president ran 1400 miles and raised over $130k to support students facing basic needs insecurity. May we all show up with his kind of determination to challenge student basic needs insecurity.

www.opb.org/article/2025...

From Ontario to Hood River, a mission to support Oregon’s community college students

Clackamas Community College President Tim Cook ran nearly 1,500 miles to all 17 state community colleges in 52 days, raising over $130,000 for students in financial need.

www.opb.org

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The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 22d

Our @prinistacy.bsky.social was a part of this panel of brilliant changemakers at the 2025 SUCCESS Convening, leading a conversation on how we can better fund basic needs initiatives—a topic more critical than ever in the wake of recent policy decisions.

REGISTRATION: PEER Center Virtual Event on Reconciliation

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 23d

This Thursday, our colleagues at the PEER Center are hosting a crucial webinar on the impacts of the OBBB reconciliation bill for researchers and scholars. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Earlier this year, Congress passed a reconciliation law (a.k.a. the One Big Beautiful Bill) that will substantially reshape the higher education sector. The U.S. Department of Education is now moving ...

docs.google.com

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · 29d

Basic needs challenges are intersectional and interlocking—and they prevent students from actualizing their potential. By providing child care support for parenting students, we can support many of their needs at once.

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · Sep 8

This two-pager from our colleagues at @sheeoed.bsky.social provides an excellent case as to why state agencies across the country should invest in basic needs data.
sheeo.org/wp-content/u...

sheeo.org

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · Sep 3

Our Senior Director Dr. Sara Abelson worked alongside some of our brilliant colleagues to create this succinct guide to what we know works for improving mental health in higher education: www.acenet.edu/Documents/Wh...

www.acenet.edu

Half of college students say their mental health is ‘fair’ to ‘terrible,’ survey finds

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · Sep 3

Half of college students don’t have their mental health needs met. The good news? We can better support colleges in changing that. www.highereddive.com/news/half-of...

These issues may impact their trajectory, with large shares of learners reporting that they’re considering reducing their classload, transferring or dropping out.

www.highereddive.com

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · Sep 2

September is Student Parent Month—if we want to better support them, we need to first listen to them.

Throughout the month, we’ll share their answers to our survey question, “What does the world need to know about being a college student?”

UPCOMING: September 11, 2025 | 2 p.m. ET. Faculty and staff are stretched thin, with rising workloads, low morale, and growing burnout threatening retention across higher education. Discover practical...

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · Aug 28

To properly support students, we need to ensure faculty have their basic needs met too, including their mental health care. This webinar from @chronicle.com will give tips on how to help your faculty and staff avoid fatigue and burnout: www.chronicle.com/events/virtu...

Fighting Campus Fatigue

www.chronicle.com

The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs @hope4college.bsky.social · Aug 27

Sweeping cuts to public transportation are happening in our home city of Philadelphia. It’s time to imagine a better future for college student transportation. hope.temple.edu/newsroom/hop...

Creative Solutions for College Student Transportation Insecurity

While the conversation around student basic needs security has proliferated over the past ten years, transportation still remains a lesser-discussed need.