Post-event follow-up: Watch a video of the Apr. 12 event. 

Basic needs, including food, housing, mental health, sleep, hygiene, and financial literacy, are critical to students’ success. When students are basic needs insecure, they do not have access to these essentials, adversely affecting their well-being, college persistence, and college completion. On our campus, the Food Pantry has been instrumental to fighting food insecurity. In fact, more than 40% of UI students are food insecure. We will discuss what basic needs insecurity looks like on our campus and what efforts are in place to combat these issues. You will also learn what you can do to support basic needs on our campus.

Steph Beecher is the basic needs coordinator who oversees the Food Pantry, Clothing Closet, and Hawkeye Meal Share. Steph has spent most of her career in wellness education as a health promotion coordinator at Student Wellness focusing on sexual health, stress management, and substance use. Steph has worked for a national Sexual Assault Prevention program, Green Dot, focusing on bystander education in Washington, D.C. Steph also has experience as a student affairs specialist for Arapahoe Community College in Denver, Colorado.