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University of Minnesota presents data showing widespread student food and housing insecurity, seeks expanded pantry hours and funding
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Summary
University presenters told the Board of Regents' student affairs committee that roughly 1 in 4 students report food insecurity and about 1 in 3 report housing worry; campus leaders described expansions to food pantries, emergency grants and a legislative funding request to broaden supports.
University of Minnesota officials told the Board of Regents’ special committee on student affairs in February 2025 that hunger and housing concerns are widespread across the system and are harming students’ academic success.
During a systemwide briefing, Michelle Trumpe, director of public health at Boynton Health on the Twin Cities campus, said the university’s College Student Health Survey found “1 in 4 students across the University of Minnesota system are reporting food insecurity,” which she described as roughly 15,000 students. Trumpe said housing-insecurity questions, first asked in 2024, show about one in three students — about 17,000 — worry about covering housing costs or have missed payments.
“The experience of our students tracks the national data,” Trumpe told the committee, noting federal studies that show elevated food-insecurity rates among college students compared with all American households. She defined basic needs for the committee as items that can be purchased, specifically food and housing, and framed insecurity as limited or uncertain access to those items.
Interim vice chancellor Jeremy Leiferman of the Duluth campus illustrated the numbers with a composite student story about “Julia,” a full-time student who works extensively to pay tuition and relies on campus resources such as the Champs Cupboard food pantry and Champ’s Closet for professional clothing. Leiferman said the Duluth pantry has relied heavily on donations and that demand this year exceeded donated supplies, forcing staff to use cash donations to buy additional food.
Leaders described examples of campus services across the five campuses: on-campus food pantries, assistance applying for SNAP, emergency grants for unplanned crises, food-rescue programs, meal vouchers with dining partners, clothing closets and short-term housing referrals. Trumpe said the Twin Cities Nutritious U pantry served about 1,800 student visits per month after doubling hours and still receives about 1,007 pounds of food per week — a volume she called insufficient to meet demand.
Panelists outlined several near-term expansions: increasing pantry hours and openings, adding locations (including a new Saint Paul pantry pilot currently operating), broadening product offerings to include culturally appropriate and refrigerated or frozen items, and partnering with the UMN Foundation and local food banks to purchase food in bulk. Trumpe said the university participates in USDA’s The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and sources food through The Food Group; campuses also work with dining partners and community groups such as Keystone Community.
On funding, presenters described a basic-needs component within the university’s broader legislative request and said additional state, philanthropic and grant funding would help expand pantries, emergency grants and staffing. One committee member noted the basic-needs ask cited in discussion as $1.5 million and said the amount could unlock other priorities.
Student representatives urged operational changes. Jocelyn Sturm, a student representative from the Twin Cities campus, told the committee Nutritious U’s current schedule — open every other week for two days — leaves students without weekly access and creates barriers when a student’s need falls on a week the pantry is closed. “If a student runs out of food on a week where it’s not open…they have no access to food resources on campus,” Sturm said, urging weekly access and more varied hours.
Committee members pressed presenters for follow-up data on SNAP participation among University of Minnesota students; Trumpe said the staff would provide exact systemwide SNAP-eligibility numbers later and noted that pandemic-era waivers had temporarily expanded eligibility in the past. Presenters also said they are tracking pantry use to stock commonly requested items and are exploring partnerships with campus farms, nutrition programs and community food mobiles.
The presentation closed with a call to combine short-term operational improvements with advocacy for systemic solutions. The committee did not take formal votes on the item; presenters said they will continue to pursue partnerships and funding to expand services and report back to the committee.
