Basic Needs Syllabus Statement
Including a basic needs statement on your statement can help your students identify resources and support that can help make their time at MSU more productive and caring. As well, it identifies you are someone who cares about the wellbeing of students in your classes.
Sample Syllabus Statement
Any student in this class who experiences difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in our course, is urged to contact their academic advisor for support. You may also contact the MSU Student Food Bank (http://foodbank.msu.edu) for help getting access to healthy foods. Furthermore, if you are experiencing any other challenges with basic needs, you may also notify me, and I will work to connect you with any resources that I have access to.
Using this Statement
This statement can be used on the syllabus for undergraduate courses. To prepare you for student inquiries, familiarize yourself with the basic needs resources available in your department and college. Also, see Sara Goldrick-Rab’s Medium article on this topic: https://bit.ly/2vzzIwi
How Can I Help?
- Be intentional. Check-in early. Student missing class? Student sleeping in class? Ask your student what there needs might be-encourage them to talk with their advisor.
- Get to know your department’s advisors and the work they do to support student success.
- Familiarize yourself with existing services on campus. You do not have to know everything! Check out:
http://studentaffairs.msu.edu/
http://studentparents.msu.edu/
For more information and links to research and additional resources contact:
Benjamin Lauren, PhD, Assistant Professor of Experience Architecture
Assistant Director of MA in Digital Rhetoric and Professional Writing
Kim Steed-Page, MSW, Director Student Parent Resource Center