1. Promising Practices in Emergency Aid
Gail DiSabatino, Ed.D.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs University of Massachusetts Boston
Kathryn Hutchinson, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs St. John’s University
Amy Geist, M.A.
Director of Strategic Initiatives NASPA
Amelia Parnell, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research and Policy NASPA

2. Agenda NASPA Landscape Analysis of Emergency Aid Programs
Project Goals & Method
Components of Robust Emergency Aid Programs
10 Findings & 5 Needs; Questions and Critiques of EA
Campus Examples
Rubric to Assess Campus Readiness
Questions

3. “Many individuals are ill-prepared for a financial disruption”
Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Household Economics and Decision Making – October 2014
47% of respondents said they either could not cover an emergency expense costing $400, or would cover it by selling something or borrowing money.
well-being-us-households pdf

4. Complex Student Needs Institutions are providing: A case management
approach
Holistic support
Streamlined access
Timely resources
Single Stop USA is one example

5. Landscape Analysis of Emergency Aid Programs
Conducted with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Primary Goals:
Describe the current condition of emergency aid programs across
institutional sectors
- Highlight connections to student outcomes
- Provide examples of exemplary practice
- Surface emerging institutions

6. The definition of emergency aid is still evolving
For the purposes of this project, emergency aid included one- time grants, loans, and completion scholarships of less than $1,500 provided to students facing unexpected financial crisis, as well as food pantries, housing assistance, and transportation assistance.

7. Method Campus interviews (October–December 2015) 20+ institutions
Multiple perspectives
financial aid, student affairs, development
National survey (January-March 2016)
695 institutions responded
523 have an emergency aid program

8. Sector of Responding Institutions

9. Size of Responding Institutions

10. 10 Findings

11. 1- Over 70% of institutions from most sectors have an emergency aid program.
Private for-profit is the exception, with only 38% (we only had 13 respondents from the private for profit sector)

12. 2- Both small- and large-sized institutions have emergency aid programs.
Variation of the pie chart a few slides ago. Information about the number of students served and size of budget are in the report. Important point is that this is not just a narrow conversation only for large-sized institutions.

13. 3- Over 80% of colleges that have an emergency aid program have had it for 3 or more years.
They’ve been doing this for a while. These indications of 3-5 and more than 5 years are telling. Even though loosely-coordinated and not really visible, campuses have been doing this for a while.

14. 4- Institutions are offering six primary types of emergency aid.
These are the types of aid. Initially, the anticipation was grants, loans, vouchers, but we also got info about programs like completion scholarships and food pantries.
Emergency loans are offered most; Completion scholarships are offered least
Vouchers are for things like books, transportation, some cases a meal card for dining services
Restricted refers to situations where the campus has identified some kind of restriction for eligibility like year in school or GPA; Unrestricted grants also don’t have to be paid back and aren’t limited to who can request/receive

15. 5- Food pantries are the second leading type of emergency aid provided for public 2-year and 4-year institutions. Public, 4-year or above
It came to light in the landscape analysis that food pantries are the second leading type of emergency aid provided at public 4-year and 2-year institutions.

16. 5- Food pantries are the second leading type of emergency aid provided for public 2-year and 4-year institutions. Public, 2-year
College and University Food Bank Alliance Report - Hunger on Campus: The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College Students

17. 6- Emergency loans and restricted small grants are the leading type of aid provided at private not-for profit institutions.

18. 7- Word of mouth is the primary method for disseminating information about all types of emergency aid.
NASPA is working to increase communication and awareness of these kinds of resources for students in need.

19. 8- The majority of colleges are not using data to proactively identify students who would benefit from emergency aid. Does your institution use data to proactively identify students?
Colleges that do use data proactively are primarily using financial aid reports and bursar/student accounts information

20. 8- The majority of colleges are not using data to proactively identify students who would benefit from emergency aid. Does your institution use data to proactively identify students?
Some campuses do track data on the students who receive aid, but that data is usually maintained on spreadsheets on individual computers.

21. Information Used to Proactively Identify Students
If students typically have to come forward and self-identify as being in a position to need help for an emergency, campuses could mine their own data based on certain criteria or characteristics (low-income, first-generation, etc.) and do targeted communications rather than widespread marketing.

22. Factors that Prevent Use of Data to Proactively Identify Students
When asked why they don’t use data, responses indicate that concerns exist about too many students qualifying, student privacy, or not being certain what data is relevant.

23. 9- University foundation and individual donors are the leading sources of emergency aid funds.
Over 50% reported it as the source for grants; 44% for completion scholarships; 41% for loans
The next leading source was the operating budget.
No more than 2% of institutions reported alumni giving as the source for any type of emergency aid.
Leading sources of funding are foundation and individual donors. Alumni giving could be a focus in the future.

24. 10- Lack of financial resources is the leading barrier to serving more students with emergency aid.
Financial aid limits and lack of awareness of the availability of services are the next most common.

25. Institutions Currently Assisting All Students Who Request Emergency Aid
It makes sense that most would say they’re not, but 29% said yes. Important to note that this is a question about those who request, so it’s perhaps not all students who need aid, or that they aren’t fully meeting the need of those who do request.

26. 5 Needs A common language to describe and discuss emergency aid
More compliance guidance for administering emergency grants and loans
Set of procedures to guide the development of new and existing programs
Better use of data to identify students who need aid and assess effect of programs on student success
More automated processing
What do we mean when discussing emergency aid
Not necessarily federal compliance, but just compliance in general
Learning from other campuses, toolkit for starting or bolstering programs
How to identify students in need
How to do more with what we have; not hire more staff, but make some processes automated

27. Questions and Critiques
Is the delivery of emergency aid outside of the mission of higher education?
“Institutions are not social service agencies.”
What if students “game the system?”
“If a student needs emergency aid, perhaps that means he or she cannot afford to go to college.”
Should emergency aid be considered a one-time resource for students?
“We should not expect students to build emergency aid into their yearly budget.”

28. Emergency Aid: A Campus Perspective
Lessons Learned:
Create one central point of contact for emergency aid cases
Intake to assess stressors
Centralized referrals
Authority to immediately provide vouchers, authorization of payment of funds for transportation, etc.
Acts as liaison to other campus resources and activates assistance
Creates a short-term, concrete, specific plan with student
Follow-up within 7-10 days ( earlier if needed)

29. Emergency Aid: Campus Lessons Learned
Crafting the message about the Emergency Aid Program
Connect the program to the University Mission
Connect Emergency Aid to student success
Be upfront about the scope of the program
Clearly define the purpose
Manage expectations
Dignity for all is essential

30. Emergency Aid: Campus Lessons Learned
Educate employees/faculty/students where to refer
Create a culture of care and refer
Engage student leaders in sharing information with peers and about peers
Engage all campus partners especially the 24/7 functions- food service, facilities, housekeeping & public safety
Define emergency aid for those trained

31. Emergency Aid: Campus Lessons Learned
Evaluation of Emergency Aid Impact
Categorize cases
Be creative: data beyond retention/persistence
Consider qualitative data from student perspective
Assess timing of the aid and impact
Look to the data to enhance program and set realistic goals and outcomes

32. UMass Boston Student Demographic
In-state Pell Grant recipients is about 47%
About 61% of undergraduates are first-generation college students, many of immigrant parents
40% report speaking language other than English at home
32% of freshman and 55% of seniors reported working more than 20 hours a week off campus

33. The Office of Urban and Off-Campus Support Services (U-ACCESS) - Est
Vision
To be a national campus model for effective and innovative practices that strengthen support for postsecondary disadvantaged student populations with complex personal and social issues such as homeless, domestic violence and emancipated from foster care, etc.
Mission
To empower and support students who are experiencing complex personal and social issues that may derail their academic success.
Goal
To improve students’ academic persistence and degree completion by providing emergency assistance and multi-disciplinary intervention that maximizes the use of campus and community resources.
Outcome
Students will successfully complete their degrees at UMass Boston, minimize the cycle of poverty and educational attrition, and improve their life choices and opportunities.

34. The Office of Urban and Off-Campus Support Services (U-ACCESS)
Provides comprehensive support and advocacy services to UMass Boston students who may be experiencing
homelessness
emancipation from foster care
parental neglect
chronic or persistent poverty
domestic violence
legal issues
financial emergencies
Collaboration with off-campus resources
Local shelters for short-term housing solutions and assisting them in searching for affordable housing
Department of Children and Families for students aging out of foster care
Greater Boston Food Bank and local grocery stores to stock the Food Pantry
Assist students in applying for SNAP
Collaboration with on-campus resources
Office of Housing, Dean of Students, Financial Aid, Bursar’s Office, Counseling, Advancement

35. Demographically representative sample – 390 of 17,000 students
Housing and Food Insecurity Study Results1
Demographically representative sample – 390 of 17,000 students
Prevalence of Food Insecurity Among Participants
Often
Sometimes
Never
Worried about having enough $ for food
4.6%
22.8%
72.2%
Had to skip a meal due to lack of $ for food
2.8%
24.1%
72.7%
Unable to eat balanced meals
6.8%
20.5%
71.9%
Did not eat for more than 1-2 days
1.8%
92.7%
1Silva, Meghan R., et al. The Relationship Between Food Security, Housing Stability, and School Performance Among College Students in an Urban University. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. 0(0) 1-16.

36. Housing and Food Insecurity Study Results1
Demographically representative sample – 390 of 17,000 students
Housing Insecurity
Reported being homeless since starting college
1 in 20
(5%)
Did not know whether they could continue sleeping in their current place for 2 weeks
Have moved at least once in the past 12 months
1 in 3
(33.3%)
1Silva, Meghan R., et al. The Relationship Between Food Security, Housing Stability, and School Performance Among College Students in an Urban University. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. 0(0) 1-16.

37. Demographically representative sample – 390 of 17,000 students
Housing and Food Insecurity Study Results1
Demographically representative sample – 390 of 17,000 students
Impact of Housing Instability and Food Instability on Class Attendance and Performance
Insecure
Not Insecure
Attend class
Housing
47.6%
17.5%
Food
58.6%
16.4%
Perform in class
81%
22.9%
87.5%
22.1%
About 4% of respondents had to forego registering for one or more semesters due to food insecurity and/or housing instability
About 5% risked failing a class due to food insecurity and/or housing instability

38. The Office of Urban and Off-Campus Support Services (U-ACCESS)
Student client profile (September 2016 – January 2017)
Total student parents: 28
Total unemployed/looking for work: 74
Total student in need of housing assistance: 23
Total student signed up for SNAP: 33

39. U-ACCESS Food Pantry
Opened in 2013, it was the first food pantry among 4-year universities in Massachusetts
Served over 1,600 students to date
Food Pantry Statistics (September 2016 – January 2017)
Visits
Households
New Students
GBFB Donations (lbs)
% of total
Other Donations (lbs)
Total Donation (lbs)
September
108 55 23
2,327
95.5
110
4.5
2,437
October
192 80 30
2,866
96.6
100
3.4
2,966
November
334
116 31
6,334
89.5
745
10.5
7,079
December
167 94 11
1,874
77.4
547
22.6
2,421
January
121 41 48
1,853
92.5
150
7.5
2,003
Average
184.4
77.2
28.6
3,051
90.3
330
9.7
3,381
Total
922
143
15,254
1,652
16,906

40. Housing and Food Insecurity Study Results1
Faculty Perceptions
Of faculty surveyed:
87% indicated interest in a resource guide to support students facing food insecurity and housing insecurity and housing instability, and 82% would like contact names related to resources
30% indicated interest in a workshop related to these issues
 In the past year:
Housing Instability
Food Insecurity
At least one student communicated issues to faculty:
 59%
26%
Faculty referred at least one student to on-campus resources
24%
14%

41. Next Steps Use of Maxient Faculty and staff education
Fund for Students Students Affected by Executive Orders
Single Stop

42. Coming Soon – Emergency Aid Readiness Rubric
Capacity Criteria
Rating
Definition
Forming
The institution is identifying a course of action for the area
Emerging
Decisions have been made and/or implementation has started
Functioning
The most critical pieces are in place to execute the work needed
Exemplar
Well-positioned to scale and sustain emergency aid efforts

43. Sample Guiding Question Institutional Research
Capacity Areas
Area
Sample Guiding Question
Leadership
Is there a clear office/ department/ individual responsible for the emergency aid program’s implementation and success?
Policy
Does the campus adhere to relevant state and federal guidelines for distributing financial aid?
Institutional Research
To what extent does the campus use data to identify the students who could benefit from the program the most?
Technology
To what extent does the campus leverage technology to receive and process requests in a timely manner?
Sustainability
To what extent does the campus allocate and leverage multiple sources to secure enough funding for the emergency aid program?
Communication
Are various mechanisms used to inform students about emergency aid availability?
For policy – another example is related to the process for how students can qualify and/or apply for emergency aid.
For sustainability – examples include alumni association, donors, and the campus operating budget.

44. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs University of Massachusetts Boston
Gail DiSabatino, Ed.D.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs University of Massachusetts Boston
Kathryn Hutchinson, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs St. John’s University
Amy Geist, M.A.
Director of Strategic Initiatives NASPA
Amelia Parnell, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research and Policy NASPA