Thank you for your interest in supporting students to meet their basic needs. 

Here are some ways that you can help students: 

• Familiarize yourself with the existing resources so you can share the information with your students and other colleagues. 
• Join the Basic Needs List-serv to stay up to date with new resources and opportunities for students. Note, if it's your first time joining a list-serv, you'll need to set up an account to join. 
• Worried about a student? Complete a Madison Cares Referral to report that you have concerns about a student's basic needs insecurity. The Dean of Students office will follow up with that student. 
• Donate workplace clothing and interview attire to The Career Closet. There are 3 permanent locations where you can donate workplace clothing and interview attire: The Hartman Learning Complex (COB), University Career Center in the Student Success Center, and The Pantry in TDU. 
• Donate frequently requested items or money to The Pantry. Purchase items from the Amazon Wish List and send directly to The Pantry. 
• Share outreach materials for The Pantry:
  • Post this flyer in your office and distribute flyers to your students 
  • Show the Student Support Hub during class or during trainings
  • Show this presentation explaining The Pantry and other resources to students (you may have to click through the presentation once for all elements to load properly)
• Help reduce textbook costs for students! 
  • Contact JMU’s Open Education Librarian to learn about open textbooks and other free course materials or start exploring collections of open access textbooks on your own.  
  • Contact your Liaison Librarian to see if the Libraries can purchase copies of your required texts for the Libraries’ collection.  
  • Allow students to use older versions of required texts if they are of similar quality and less expensive.  
  • Use Course Reserves to place a 4-hour or 4-day checkout limit on items from the JMU Libraries collection (or your personal copies!) to make it easier for multiple students to use them. Thanks to the new “Course Reading List” feature in Canvas, your course reserve materials can show up right in Canvas next to your other required readings. 
• Include the following statement in your syllabus:
  • "Food, Housing, and Other Basic Needs 
    Students’ inability to meet their basic needs can negatively affect academic performance, as well as social and emotional wellbeing. If you are having difficulty securing sufficient food to eat, lack a safe and stable place to live, or are unable to access medical care, you can contact the Dean of Students for support (deanofstudents@jmu.edu, 540-568-6468). I also welcome you to come talk to me about your situation if you are comfortable doing so. Check out JMU’s Student Support Hub (jmu.edu/ssh) for information about food, housing, and financial assistance for JMU students. Follow links to The Pantry at JMU which provides free food and other resources, shopping in-person or placing an order on the app for rapid or curbside pickup. Additionally, Strength In Peers’ Community Resource Center can connect you with off-campus, community-based services resources (food pantries, medical care, free laundry, and more). Visit their website to learn more and to download a resource guide."