8
This chapter offers strategies for creating support resources for
students who face nonacademic barriers such as housing insecurity,
food insecurity, lack of transportation and dependable childcare,
and the need for mental health care and illness. These strategies
should be viewed as ideas to help retain students and create lasting
partnerships between rural community colleges and community
organizations.
Serving the Whole Student: Addressing
Nonacademic Barriers Facing Rural
Community College Students
Stacy Waters-Bailey, Matthew S. McGraw, Jason Barr
This chapter offers strategies for creating support resources for students
who face nonacademic barriers such as housing insecurity, food insecurity,
lack of transportation, and the need for dependable childcare and for more
robust mental health care services. The strategies presented in this chapter
are not to be seen as one size fits all for every campus, but should be viewed
as ideas to help retain students and create lasting partnerships between
higher education and community organizations. The development of these
partnerships should ultimately lead to a stronger college, community, and
workforce.
Following a literature review, the authors identified several suggestions
for partnerships between rural community colleges and community organizations. The suggested partnerships are categorized by five areas of possible
student need: food insecurity, housing insecurity, transportation, childcare,
and mental health care. This list is, of course, not all encompassing, as
community and college partnerships are too varied; an issue that may be
paramount in one locality may barely exist or not be an issue in another.
The importance of individual factors should be based on the nature of the
community college’s student demographic and rural community resources.
Food Insecurity
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA, 2018) defines food insecurity
as not having access to enough food on a daily basis to support an active
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REVISITING RURAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES
and healthy life. The USDA categorizes food insecurity in two categories:
the term low food security is linked to limited reduced food consumption
with little access to healthy foods, while very low food security is more
severe with multiple missed meals (USDA, 2018). Research conducted by
Feeding America (2018) found those individuals who live in rural areas are
more likely to face food insecurity. Rural counties account for 63% of all
the counties in the United States, but these same rural counties make up
67% of the counties with a higher than national average of food insecurity (Feeding America, 2018). In a study released by the Wisconsin HOPE
Lab, the authors examined food and housing insecurity among college students and found that 53% of students attending a community college in a
rural area faced food insecurity (Goldrick-Rab, Richardson, & Hernandez,
2017).
While these statistics are a sobering reflection of rural America, they
also bring to light a problem facing many rural community college students. When a student must choose between attending class and visiting the
local Department of Social Services to recertify their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, what is the correct choice? What
if that same student is faced with not only their hunger, but the hunger
of their family? Should the student quit school and look for a job or ask
for more hours from their current employer in order to feed themselves
or qualify for SNAP benefits? Although these are tough questions leading
to even harder choices for many rural students, there are strategies rural
community colleges can put in place to help overcome or lessen the burden
of these barriers.
Through a partnership with the local Department of Social Services
(DSS), for example, rural community colleges can offer SNAP assistance
on campus. One possibility is to create an agreement with the local DSS
office to send a representative to campus on a set schedule to assist students with applying for and recertifying SNAP benefits. Another option
would be to have the local DSS staff train select college personnel on how
to assist students in completing the forms and collect documentation for
SNAP applications and recertification packages. The college staff can then
submit the completed paperwork to the local DSS office on behalf of the student, thereby providing support for the complex paperwork and reducing
the number of trips by the student to the DSS office. Two rural colleges in
North Carolina, Nash Community College and Davidson County Community College, have trained staff available to assist students with completing
SNAP applications and recertification paperwork (Nash Community College, 2018; Rittling, 2018). Students are able to seek assistance from staff
members while on campus which could lead to the student being connected
to additional support resources.
Partnering with the local Health Department is another opportunity
to help support students facing food insecurity. Again, student schedules
and transportation issues can make seeking services such as the Special
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Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
difficult. WIC is a federal income-based supplemental program that supports pregnant women and young children through vouchers for infant formula, baby food, and other nutritional foods and items. Participants must
meet eligibility criteria and attend a required number of in-person WIC
appointments each year. While each state and local health department has
the autonomy to create WIC appointment schedules, some students may
find it difficult to obtain an appointment that fits into their busy lives. By
partnering with local health departments, rural community colleges can
help students obtain and keep WIC benefits by working with the local
Health Department to assist students in scheduling appointments around
their class schedules.
The creation of an on-campus food pantry is another opportunity to
serve and support students’ food needs. When creating a food pantry, the
location of the pantry should be well planned and housed in an area that is
not in a high traffic or highly visible area. Some students might be reluctant
to seek assistance or be embarrassed if they think there is a chance someone
will see them visiting the food pantry. The room should also be of a sufficient
size to hold numerous shelves to store nonperishables, and possibly include
refrigeration and freezer space to store cold goods. As students might not
be aware of other local food sources that are available in the community,
when they visit the campus food pantry they should be provided a flyer
listing the other local food pantries, the times of operation, and required
documentation needed for access. The College and University Foodbank
Alliance (CUFBA) has published the Campus Food Pantry Toolkit which contains valuable suggestions and best practices for starting and maintaining a
successful food pantry on campus to benefit students in need (Matthews,
2015).
Most rural community colleges have a fundraising arm of the college
which operates as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. The tax-exempt status allows for the opportunity to partner with local food banks and purchase
food at deep discounts. Some food banks will distribute food to nonprofits for as little as .15 cents per pound, allowing a college to create a wellstocked food pantry. Through a self-determined distribution process, students would be able to stop by a campus food pantry to obtain items they
may need to sustain themselves and their family. In Indiana, for example,
a United Campus Ministry’s food pantry collected and disseminated food
and personal hygiene supplies to insecure students (Powell, 2015). It is
important to note, as well, that the creation of an on- or off-campus food
bank can be rewarding to students who are food secure, as they can choose
to donate products or volunteer their time.
A college’s tax-exempt status can also be used to apply for community
grants awarded by grocery store chains and food distribution companies.
Walmart’s Community Grant Program will award a maximum of $5,000 to
organizations providing hunger relief and healthy eating options for low
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REVISITING RURAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES
income community members (Walmart Foundation, 2018). Other grocery
store chains and large food distributors operate similar grant opportunities
to support the local communities in which they operate. Rural community
colleges can seek out grant opportunities to help fund and sustain a campus
food pantry.
There are other small changes that can be made to help those students
who are food insecure. Placing a microwave in an accessible location would
allow students the opportunity to heat food they may have obtained at the
campus food pantry. Making snacks available in areas students frequent
allows for students to casually grab some food without drawing attention
to themselves. These snacks could be as simple as a pack of crackers or
trail mix, but for some students it might be the only food they have eaten
all day.
Housing Insecurity
Generally aligning with food insecurity, homelessness and housing insecurity can be another barrier for students attending a rural community college. Students who are homeless do not have a place to live; they could be
living in a car, squatting in an abandoned building, living on the streets,
or living in a shelter. Students may not identify as homeless but fall into a
larger category of housing insecurity which includes living on a friend’s sofa
(couch surfing), being behind on paying rent and utilities, or moving from
place to place on a frequent schedule. In one study, 11% of the surveyed
students enrolled at a rural college were homeless (Goldrick-Rab et al.,
2017).
Students do not always disclose their living situations to faculty and
staff. The authors of a qualitative study found that students had clear personal goals in seeking a postsecondary degree (Gupton, 2017). Although
these students did not have stable personal lives or a support structure in
place, many of the students sought out the community college and used the
institution as a source of stability and support structure (Gupton, 2017).
This sense of support and stability garnered through the institution could
be further enhanced by partnering with community agencies to create a
system of resources used to help locate secure housing for students.
Students may run into issues trying to rent housing due to the lack of
income and upfront costs. Expenses such as moving costs, fees for turning on utilities, and security deposits may drain a student’s bank account
almost immediately. Some local rental companies and landlords will accept
student loans and grant monies as a source of income. Including educational funding sources as income can help students qualify for housing. The
college should identify rental companies and landlords that look favorably
on student renters and are willing to calculate student loans and grants as
income, as well as possibly helping to defray upfront costs. Creating a list
of properties and landlords that will work with students and provide them
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with safe and secure housing would be beneficial for students, reducing the
time needed to look for suitable housing.
The Southern Scholarship Foundation is one example of an attempt to
curtail housing insecurity among community college students, particularly
those in rural areas. “High-achieving and low-income students” (Caton,
Moro, Turner, & Woodin, 2018, p. 86) can qualify, through a competitive
application process, for free housing. In these cases, students are assigned
a room in houses that can include over a dozen other students, and they
share responsibility for the maintenance of these houses. Although these
programs are not generally feasible for the rural community college, the
process of identifying students who are experiencing housing insecurity
and “[e]valuating the potential for resource and partnership cultivation”
to address the issue is important (Caton et al., 2018, p. 91).
Some colleges are looking at leasing land to construct businesses such
as hotels and apartments. As a term in these lease agreements, community colleges are negotiating stipulations like a minimum percentage of the
apartments must be rented to students at the college; or a minimum percentage of employees must be students at the college; or other factors that
will help support students during their enrollment.
Transportation
Regardless of a community college’s location, transportation can be a large
barrier for many students. On average, students attending rural community
colleges will incur a 52-mile round-trip commute to attend classes on a
campus (Smith, 2016). It is rare that small rural community colleges have
public transportation available in the service region, and if there is public
transportation, it is not likely to serve the entire region. Instead, colleges
have created partnerships with local van services, local nonprofits such as
the United Way and Senior Services or opted to operate their own shuttle
service to support students (Smith, 2016).
Previous studies have suggested the struggle to obtain reliable transportation can lead to a lack of persistence and a lower overall GPA among
community college students (David et al., 2013; Martinez & CastañedaCalleros, 2009). Though studies surrounding transportation have largely
been centered on large urban institutions, one could easily conclude that
any student, including those living in a rural environment, will face a significant educational barrier without a reliable and predictable source of transportation that will allow them to attend class regularly (David et al., 2013;
Martinez & Castañeda-Calleros, 2009).
If the college’s service area has a public transportation system, it would
be beneficial to partner with the operating agency to negotiate a student
discount for bus passes. This partnership could extend to include having a
college representative serve as a member on the transportation board. With
representation on the board, the college will have an opportunity to ensure
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the transportation agency is considering student needs when changes to the
routes and times are discussed. At the very least, the college will be aware
of changes and can try to accommodate students in the coming semesters
by aligning class start and end times with the public transit schedule.
Partnering with the local transportation agency could also lead to negotiating a student discount for transit passes. The college may also want to
consider purchasing emergency transit passes for students who find themselves without transportation to get to and from school. These passes may
be provided as a part of a larger needs-based package as well. The passes
could be purchased using funds from fund raising and then distributed to
students as needed.
It is also important for rural community colleges to consider what policies might be adding additional stress to students who have transportation
issues. For example, creating and maintaining a 4-day class schedule would
reduce the number of days the student would need to be on campus and
reduce the overall commuting cost. Administration might consider looking
at their policies for delaying or cancelling classes for inclement weather.
Those students living far away from campus or commuting on roads that are
extremely rural, and perhaps dangerous during severe weather, may need
to begin their commute very early. These commutes can be dangerous and
cause additional fatigue and damage to an automobile that can barely get
the student to campus on a good weather day.
Other opportunities to support students who are facing transportation
barriers include offering a bulletin board in a highly used student location where students can post rideshare opportunities. Providing a dedicated
public space for students to post requests for a ride or their willingness to
give another student a ride aids in creating opportunities for students to
connect. In some cases, students may have trustworthy transportation that
otherwise occasionally needs repairs that could take days, if not weeks. The
college could partner with a local automotive repair center to offer low or
subsidized repair costs to students who are in need of automotive services.
The students could be referred to the local business for estimates, possible
payment options, and reduced rates. Harford Community College, located
in rural Maryland, has adopted this model by awarding emergency scholarships to students with transportation needs (Butler, 2019). The funds
are donated to the Harford Community College Foundation by community
partners and college alumni who believe in helping students during difficult
times (Butler, 2019).
Childcare
Historically, community colleges serve the most diverse populations of students represented in the American higher education system (Williams,
2013), including more students from low-income families, underrepresented populations, students with remedial education needs, nonnative
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English speakers, veterans, and nontraditionally aged students (Cohen &
Brawer, 2008; Hirt & Frank, 2013; Jurgens, 2010 ; Thelin, 2011; Williams,
2013). Thus community college students may face multiple challenges both
within the learning environment and beyond. Many of those challenges lie
in the nontraditional students’ role as a “citizen-student” as opposed to the
“student-citizen.” As Vaughan (2006) explained succinctly: “The citizenstudent is concerned with paying taxes, working full time, supporting a
family, paying a mortgage, and other responsibilities associated with being
a full-time citizen. College attendance is important but often depends on
the availability of money and time” (p. 16).
Related to Vaughn’s (2006) notion of the Citizen-Student are family
demands, which particularly effect women enrolled in community colleges
(St. Rose & Hill, 2013). While many parents in college (both men and
women) report spending at least 30 or more hours a week on caregiving,
over 66% of mothers report spending at least 30 hours a week on caregiving compared with 43% of fathers (Miller, Gault, & Thorman, 2011). St.
Rose and Hill (2013) also point out that student-parents are more likely
to be low-income than peer students who are not parents, and that community colleges are less likely to offer childcare services than universities.
In 2010, 48.5% of community colleges nationwide provided childcare services, compared with 58.6% of 4-year public institutions, and only 9.2% of
private-4-year universities (St. Rose & Hill, 2013). Additionally, the number
of child care facilities at community colleges is decreasing (Miller et al.,
2011). Simply put, more low-income student-parents attend community
colleges, but they are less likely to have access to childcare than university
students.
Community colleges in Arkansas are confronting the issue of childcare
for student-parents through a coordinated effort known as the Career Pathways Initiative (CPI), using federal money available for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. These funds provide direct
student support through many services, including childcare, at all twentytwo community colleges in Arkansas. Ninety percent of the CPI participants
are mothers, and many are single mothers who identify access to childcare
as a significant barrier. At institutions that do not have childcare, CPI pays
for or subsidizes the cost of childcare from external providers (St. Rose &
Hill, 2013). An example of a way in which an entire community college
system can leverage Federal money to help student-parents graduate and
enter the workforce, the CPI-TANF partnership has been recognized as one
of the ten best programs in the nation for addressing the needs of needy
families. The program’s success rate is over 80% (Franklin & Callaway,
2014).
These efforts can also be replicated on a small scale. Colby Community
College in rural Kansas, addressed the issue by partnering with local foundations and other local organizations to pay for childcare services on their
campus. These services are free for students with children (Chen, 2017).
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Mental Health Care and Illness
The very nature of the open-access mission of the community college, coupled with the often flexible scheduling, smaller classroom environments,
and relatively no-pressure admissions process may be attractive to students struggling with medical issues, either their own or the health issues
of a close family member. Indeed, community college students may have
higher incidences of health issues, but fewer available resources to effectively address these issues (Daniel & Davison, 2014). A survey conducted in
2014 indicated that over half of community college counselors were seeing
a notable increase in students seeking mental health services for issues such
as depression or anxiety (Patel, 2015). More recent studies have indicated
that almost half of community college students may suffer from a mental
health problem, including depression and anxiety; and of those, fewer than
half are receiving any form of mental health care (Eisenberg, Goldrick-Rab,
Lipson, & Broton, 2016). In many cases, these issues are “invisible” from
faculty, staff, and administration, until they begin to affect student performance, or until a student identifies themselves as struggling.
Data are a necessity if an administrator wants to address campus-wide
health trends, especially among different populations. Some community
colleges have sought out the assistance of local organizations to conduct
surveys to provide additional data on specific populations within the student body. Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio, for example, partnered
with a local Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center to conduct a survey of military
veterans enrolled on their campus (Misra-Hebert et al, 2015). Additionally,
research has indicated that single parents who are also community college
students are far more likely to experience mental health issues, including
thoughts of suicide (Shenoy, Lee, & Trieu, 2016). Those same students,
however, are often more likely to seek out available assistance (Shenoy et al.,
2016). Creating partnerships to gather and clarify such data would assist
rural community college personnel in targeting their efforts toward at-risk
populations.
Rural community colleges can address student mental health concerns
in a variety of ways, including providing counseling options, launching
prevention and awareness programs, reducing the stigma of mental illness
through such programs, giving students information that allows them to
find local resources, and creating a series of protocols designed to assist
students in crisis (Eisenberg et al., 2016). Although all community colleges may enroll students who are experiencing mental health issues, it is
important that rural community colleges provide access to students who
may not be able to readily access or find mental health services off campus.
Community colleges in rural areas may keep and maintain a list of mental health professionals, especially in areas that are underserved by mental
health professionals, who are willing to assist college students at reduced
rates. Another option is to seek out partnerships with counseling centers
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at nearby colleges and universities, as modeled by McLennan Community
College (MCC) and nearby Tarleton State University (TSU). Both located in
Texas, this community college and local university campus created a partnership in which MCC provided the space for counseling services on its
campus, and TSU placed faculty and staff to provide those services (Stewart,
Moffat, Travers, & Cummins, 2015). In other cases, community colleges
have called upon unpaid interns and student peer counselors for one-onone assistance or group presentations and discussions (Patel, 2015).
Conclusion
In the United States, it would be difficult to completely remove the economic barriers students face as they earn their education at a higher education institution without completely revamping the economic systems
surrounding higher education. However, a community college can, with
some planning and copious amounts of administrative support, reduce the
nonacademic barriers that many students face. The rural community college, in particular, may be able to offer a variety of on-campus options to
alleviate some of these barriers. Rural community colleges that enjoy the
support of foundations may be able to provide financial and logistical support to students who are struggling financially, or may need just 1 week’s
worth of fuel in order to make it through final exam week. Additionally,
community college administrators may be able to draw assistance from the
surrounding community itself. Even the most rural areas often have a large
array of support services for those in need. A student can be directed to a
food pantry if they and their family are food insecure. Various rent assistance
programs can help a student stay in their home until they can become more
financially stable.
Many students who enter a community college will encounter an obstacle. Over the years, community college administrators and faculty have
often considered student obstacles as primarily academic in nature. In many
cases, however, the college’s maintenance of academic support is treating a
symptom rather than the disease. It is vital that college administrators, faculty, and staff, begin to create support structures and community networks
to assist the most at-risk students, many of whom have entered the rural
community college seeking to solve the very problems that will no doubt
continue to challenge them during their enrollment.
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STACY WATERS-BAILEY, PhD, is the instructional planning coordinator at Forsyth
Technical Community College located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Her
research centers on transformational leadership and student success, retention,
and motivation.
MATTHEW S. MCGRAW, PhD, is the associate vice-president and Deputy Title
IX Coordinator at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College located in Clifton
Forge, Virginia. His area of research centers on rural community colleges in
Appalachia, and leadership competencies of community college leaders.
JASON BARR, PhD, is an associate professor at Blue Ridge Community College
in Weyers Cave, Virginia. His area of research centers on postsecondary prison
education and the community college.
NEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES • DOI: 10.1002/cc
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