Mission

Mission

The Basic Needs Coalition (BNC) collaborates on addressing issues that are barriers to Emporia State University (ESU) students’ success both inside and outside the classroom, including food and housing insecurity. This group is tasked with identifying and advising on best practices and facilitating coordination between different areas of campus to address the basic needs of ESU students.

Our mission is to empower students to access sufficient and nutritious food and other resources they need through collaboration and coordination among ESU departments and community agencies, exemplifying ESU values of excellence, respect, responsibility, and service.

We view basic needs (in)security as an issue of educational equity. The BNC is part of ESU’s ongoing efforts to “become a model for diversity, equity, and inclusion” in alignment with Goal 5 of the ESU Strategic Plan. Further, the BNC aims to improve student retention and completion in line with Goal 3 of the Strategic Plan, as basic needs insecurities can be a barrier to students staying enrolled and graduating. Given that basic needs insecurities disproportionately affect certain groups of students more than others, the BNC’s efforts specifically align with Objective 3 within Goal 3 to “increase enrollment, retention, and graduation of underserved and underrepresented students.”

Background

The BNC was commissioned in 2020 by ESU President Allison Garrett. It was formed in response to findings from the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University’s #RealCollege Survey conducted in fall 2019 regarding basic needs insecurities among ESU students, as well as advocacy by students, faculty, and partners of the EAT Initiative, a collaborative and interdisciplinary effort launched in fall 2019 to address hunger at ESU and in the greater Emporia community.

Read more about the founding of the BNC in this press release.