I remember my campus resembling a ghost town every day as I made my afternoon walks around Stony Brook University with how few people I saw walking, sitting, and going about their college lives. Just a couple of months earlier the campus was blooming with life and excitement as the nice spring weather started making its way into my school. The social life wasn’t the only thing that changed, however. It became worse as you started asking how the students were coping with the situation of the world shutting down. Many expressed concerns with housing and food security even while living on campus. It seemed that in the wake of the pandemic, the school cut back on essential services that many students depended on such as mental health services, guidance counseling, and even the food service, and quality were being cut which made their experience significantly worse.

However, this was exclusive to Stony Brook University. It was reported that 5.8 out of 10 students experienced basic needs insecurity during the pandemic. This statistic shows the extent of the effects that the pandemic had on students because we can estimate that a little over half of the student population experienced issues with either housing, food, or homelessness. Schools were not ready for the massive change in society and lacked the plans to adapt to the situation and the students were the ones who felt this change the worst. I personally experienced the lack of food services on campus with reduced hours, menus, and even the removal or changes to certain dishes in attempts to save money. I noticed that the quality of taste and nutritional foods that were at our disposal was decreasing as the school year progressed which made it significantly harder to rely on the dining halls for nutritional foods. But, it remained my only source of food because I had to save the little money I had in case of an emergency.

To help with situations like this in the future, schools should be expected to have a plan in order to help those students who rely on on-campus housing for a place to live and get their education. It should be a piece of legislation that should be passed in order to secure the rights of those students who depend on schools to receive their basic needs while attaining their education. This is especially true if the students pay thousands of dollars to obtain an education at a college or university. They should have the security and well-being of students in mind, especially during a pandemic or other global issues.

Melvin Rodriguez is a 22-year-old student at Stony Brook University with a major in Social Welfare and a minor in Spanish. Melvin was born in the Dominican Republic and, at the age of three, came to the US, where he moved and went to school in East Flatbush. Then, when his family moved, he went to high school in Bushwick. Due to his experiences in the school system, he was often the one who would translate and walk his family through different services. This responsibility sparked his aspirations to become a social worker and help other Hispanics who need help getting specific services. Through his studies in the social welfare program, Melvin learned about the importance of advocacy and decided that he wanted to lend his voice to those who can’t speak up on their own. He understands that those who need the most help often do not have the space to be able to fight for it. Social work has become a pillar of his life. He will continue to lean into it to help as many people as he can. During his free time, Melvin likes to explore new video games and spend time with his friends and family.