In this contract entitled “Addressing Food Insecurity on College Campuses,” the student will learn about the relationships between food as a commodity, socioeconomic status, and higher education. The student will investigate the current measures being taken on college campuses to address food insecurity by researching implemented college programs and interviewing relevant Evergreen administration. The student will provide weekly research notes. reflective writing pieces, and a 12-15 page final position paper outlining the most effective methods for addressing food insecurity on the Evergreen campus. Texts to be studied include: Endless Appetites by Alan Bjerga, Paying the Price by Sara Goldrick-Rab, Alimentary Tracts by Parama Roy, and The Economics of Inequality by Thomas Piketty. Films to be studied include: A Place At the Table, Thought for Food, and Just Eat It.

Learning Objectives Learning Activities Learning Outcomes
What is the relationship between the food system, socioeconomics and class structure, and the higher education system? I will read Endless Appetites by Alan Bjerga, Paying the Price by Sara Goldrick-Rab, Alimentary Tracts by Parama Roy, The Economics of Inequality by Thomas Piketty and scholarly articles and journals, regarding the American food system, higher education, and socioeconomics.

I will watch the documentaries A Place At the Table, Thought for Food, and Just Eat It.

I will attend talks, lectures, and events relevant to these subjects at and around the Evergreen campus.

 I will share my research notes and reflections through a weekly WordPress blog post, and bibliography.
What university funded programs, organizations or state and federal legislation already exist to address food insecurity for college students at public universities? Which systems or methods are the most effective? I will research implemented programs from various public colleges, including corresponding with the offices and people who run these programs.

I will attend and speak at the Washington Higher Education Sustainability Conference as Vice-Chair of the FSWG.

 I will share important findings including notes from meetings and statistics via my WordPress blog.

I will post photos of and reflect on the Washington Higher Education Sustainability Conference through a WordPress blog.
What measures are being taken on the Evergreen campus, specifically? What has been successful? What can be improved? I will meet with and interview relevant offices, administration staff, faculty and student interns including Director of RAD, Thurston County Food Bank Liaison, Director of Aramark, Police Services, CCBLA, the financial aid office, and the Organic Farm. I will post announcements summarizing my work with the Food Systems Working Group.

I will combine this research with the research above to write a 12-15 page position paper which will analyze the scholarly works, sort the specific failures and successes of current programs at Evergreen and otherwise, and outline the most effective methods to improve food security for college students on the Evergreen campus.
How and why does the process of commodification appear to turn everything into objects of economic value?  Should everything, both human and non-human, be measurable and exchangeable? What alternatives exist? What alternatives can be created? I will join the Commodification Processes and Alternatives SOS class for 6 hours every Tuesday. This will include seminars and tasting labs.

I will read assigned chapters from The Secret Financial Life of Food:  From Commodities Markets to Supermarkets by Kara Newman, Racial Indigestion: Eating Bodies in the 19th Century by Kyla Tompkins and Chronicles: Stories from the Front Line in the Battle for Environmental Justice by Winona LaDuke

 I will complete all assignments as described on the syllabus, including weekly documentation on the Project pages of the SOS program website.

Whenever possible, I will provide the faculty with a field supervisor, subcontractor, or mentor’s descriptive assessment of in-program ILC work completed with their guidance, expertise, or supervision by week 10.

I will complete comprehensive mid-quarter and final narrative self-evaluations and submit them to faculty prior to mid-quarter and final end of quarter student-faculty conferences.

For the final blog post on Project websites I will post, and when possible present in class on Tuesday of week 10, a 10-minute PowerPoint Presentation of 10-15 slides with text that demonstrates the highlights of the student’s in-program ILC Project website at http://blogs.evergreen.edu/comalt-natasha/.