FILE PHOTO -- UVU announced it would be hosting its graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020, implementing a drive-thru system to maintain social distancing.
UTAH COUNTY — Many Utah Valley University students are struggling to pay the bills. So, the University has new ways to try to help them.
UVU Dean of students, Alexis Palmer, says they recently started emergency scholarships between 50 and 500 dollars to give to students who can’t pay their bills.
Palmer says they surveyed students, and 36 percent said they don’t eat sometimes because they can’t afford it. 17% said they had gone all day at one point without food.
She said, “If you are not able to get the food you need, or the sleep, or you are in unsafe housing conditions, how are you going to be able to succeed in an academic classroom?”
Right now there is a food pantry, and also food vouchers for places to eat around campus and they are working on more long-term plans surrounding these issues.
In the future they want to figure out how to get unused food to students in need or get a campus community garden and fund raise for even more help.
Palmer added, “Our goal at UVU is that our students graduate, and complete their college education. So we want to do whatever we can to help them, and that’s by addressing their basic needs.”