The Graduate and Professional Students Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly are prioritizing fighting food insecurity among Yale’s graduate students.
Chris Tillen
12:27 am, Feb 14, 2025
Staff Reporter
Tim Tai
This academic year, both the Graduate and Professional Students Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly identified food insecurity as a top priority.
The GPSS and GSA compiled a report last year that revealed that approximately 30 percent of Yale’s graduate and professional students are food insecure, a rate over twice the national average of 13.5 percent. GPSS President Alex Rich GRD ’27 called on the University to support students by subsidizing on-campus dining options.
“This is a really foundational requirement of student well-being,” said Rich. “It’s really unfortunately widespread and desperately needs attention and support.”
The GPSS report was based on three separate surveys. Two of these surveys were conducted within the School of Medicine and School of the Environment, and these surveys focused on evaluating food insecurity among students. The other survey was part of the GPSS annual survey in 2023 — conducted every spring — and features many questions beyond those related to food insecurity.
The GPSS conducted its annual spring survey in 2024 but has yet to release this data to school administrators.
“While any level of food insecurity is concerning, the results of the recent survey should be interpreted with caution,” the University spokesperson wrote to the News. “The response rate is too low to be representative of the Graduate and Professional population and those who consider themselves ‘food insecure’ were more likely to respond to the survey, leading to a disproportionate response.”
The spokesperson said that the total survey participants represent less than 6 percent of the student body.
In response, Rich wrote, “While I completely agree with the caution in approaching such data, it is easy to criticize. It is hard to take action. We welcome the administrator’s criticism – so much so, in fact, that we welcome them to conduct an assessment of their own.”
The GPSS has also conducted focus groups, interviewing groups of students on their experiences with food insecurity. The focus groups have included diverse students across several graduate and professional schools.
Currently, Bassel Shanab MED ’26 is leading focus groups of students across Yale’s graduate and professional schools.
“Despite their differing pursuits, each group would have a similar conclusion as to how the participants are suffering in silence,” wrote Shanab. “Some describe the scheduled rationing, sometimes eating just once a day, as they attempt to scrounge meals from free campus events when their insufficient monthly budget runs short. Others experience malnutrition as they resort to eating unhealthy foods at irregular times.”
The GSA currently funds and fills a food pantry in the McDougal Graduate Student Center. According to its website, the pantry has helped the GSA identify food-insecure populations in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Per the GSA website, one of the GSA’s main goals is to find an “inclusive strategy” that ameliorates food insecurity through meal plans subsidized by either the University or the GSAS.
Collaboration between the GPSS and the University yielded the creation of the Grad Plus plan.
At $385 per semester, The Grad 30 plan offers 30 swipes a semester and 50 points to be used at the Bow Wow, Commons, Cafe 25, Cafe Med, Elm, Health Center Cafe, Ivy, Ramen at Becton, Steep Cafe and West Campus.
Alternatively, at $925 per semester, The Grad Plus plan offers two meals per week at Commons or the Bow Wow, as well as 125 total points to be used at the Bow Wow, Commons, Cafe 25, Cafe Med, Elm, Health Center Cafe, Ivy, Ramen at Ground, Steep Cafe and West Campus.
Yet, neither plan provides affordable weekly access to meals, Rich believes.
A spokesperson from the University noted that multiple factors contribute to food insecurity across the country, including proximity to grocery stores, limited transportation, high food costs and lack of time to shop for groceries.
“The university has examined this issue and is dedicated to identifying possible responses within each graduate and professional school,” said the spokesperson.
Rich supports the implementation of University funded subsidized points and Eli bucks. These plans would offer both location flexibility and University support for meals. Additionally, Rich advocates for an affordable grocery store in New Haven.
“We are hearing that it’s very difficult to get food in this area. And as grad and professional students, we know that too,” said Rich.
Last semester, the GPSS collected more specific data on food security. GPSS Advocacy Chair Ruben Warkentin GRD ’28 noted that lack of access to affordable grocery stores was one of the most common issues in the survey.
Rich noted that the GPSS had already spoken with University President Maurie McInnis at the beginning of the year, describing McInnis’ response as “very receptive.”
Shanab added that the University could do “many” things to reduce food insecurity among graduate students, including increasing the frequency of the Trader Joe’s grocery shuttle.
Warkentin added that universal free lunch would be beneficial, citing his experience where free lunch was offered every day at Concordia University in Montreal, where he studied before.
“At Yale University, we can do much better in fighting food insecurity as we aim to uplift our students in cutting edge facilities under premier academic scholars,” wrote Shanab.
The Graduate and Professional Schools Senate was founded in 1972.
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