Harvard University Encourages Students To Go On Food Stamps, Even Though It's the Richest School In The World With A $53 Billion Endowment

Jeannine Mancini
Updated 3 min read
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Harvard University recently organized an event to support graduate students enrolling in government food assistance programs.

The Health Services office sent a flier to graduate students, encouraging them to participate in the SNAP Benefits Sign-Up event in April. The flier read, "Fuel your body & stock your pantry. Did you know that grad students may qualify for assistance paying for food & groceries?"

Harvard University is the wealthiest academic institution globally, boasting an endowment of approximately $53 billion. With such a substantial endowment, Harvard has the means to support a wide array of academic programs, research endeavors, scholarships and initiatives.

The Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU) expressed its view, advocating for more substantial measures to assist graduate students, primarily by increasing their salaries. According to HGSU's proposal, all graduate student workers should receive a minimum annual salary of $60,000, a significant increase from the current minimum salary of $40,000. The union believes that providing adequate compensation directly to the students would alleviate the need for external assistance programs like SNAP.

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Harvard's graduate student workers have been on strike twice in recent years, partly because of their dissatisfaction with low pay from the university.

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Approximately 30% of Harvard's grad students are international, so they are ineligible to apply for SNAP. This means that the solution presented by the university fails to support about one-third of its graduate students adequately.

In response to the concerns, a Harvard spokesperson reached out to Motherboard via email, explaining that the informational session sought to assist students in signing up for the federal program. The session aimed to provide guidance on creating inexpensive yet nutritious meals to support the students' well-being.

Harvard's situation is not unique. Many graduate students at universities across the country are facing similar financial challenges. While the SNAP Benefits Sign-Up event at Harvard may have provided temporary relief for some, it also draws attention to the underlying issue of low pay for graduate students. The HGSU's call for higher minimum salaries resonates with the broader context of financial hardship experienced by graduate students across the country.

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This article Harvard University Encourages Students To Go On Food Stamps, Even Though It's the Richest School In The World With A $53 Billion Endowment originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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