1

The P-T-P Model: Practice-to-Theory-to-Practice Project

Food Insecurity with Students Living On-Campus
UC Irvine
Jose Bejar, Christina Cruz, Isabella Ferrante, Paola Martinez, Gregorio Reyes

Step 1. Conduct a student needs assessment

A significant amount of first-year students living on-campus at The University of California, Irvine (UCI)
experience food insecurity due to the high cost of living in Irvine and navigating transitions as a student which
affects their academic performance and personal development.

Step 2. Develop program goals and objectives

Goal: Our goal is to increase awareness and create programming surrounding food insecurity among first-year
students, while teaching independent living skills for students living on campus.

Objective: Students will be able to identify the contributing factors of food insecurity and the effects on
students' college experience.
Objective: Students will be able to locate food insecurity resources available on-campus to meet their
needs.
Objective: Students will be able to learn independent living skills such as grocery shopping on a college
budget, identifying nutritional and affordable meal options, and food preparation.

Step 3. Investigate Theories

1. José- Maslow’s (1970) Hierarchy of Needs states that students need to satisfy their physiological basic needs
such as hunger, shelter, sleep, and thirst. Then, they can start to pursue the higher needs such as safety, love
and belonging, esteem, and self actualization.
2. Christina - Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory defines a transition as an event or non-event that results
in a change in relationships, routines, assumptions, or roles. They are only considered to be a transition if the
student perceives it that way. An individual can face three types of transitions, including anticipated,
unanticipated, or non-events. There are four factors that influence an individual's ability to cope with the
transition: situation, self, support, and strategies. For a student, this can be the transition of moving away from
home, and the way they cope with this will be based on their ability to cope with the transition. If a student is
not feeling enough support, they may not be able to cope with the change of living away from home.
3. Gregorio - Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1993, 2005) Person-Environment Theory explains how student-
environment interactions promote or inhibit development. The four components that influence development
include Process, Person, Context, and Time. These integrated components can help explain how students
facing food insecurity interact with environmental factors that promote or address food insecurity.
4. Paola - Schlossberg’s (1989) Marginality and Mattering theory, tells us that whether students feel that they
belong and are of importance to others can impact students’ development and experiences in college. This
theory would be beneficial to utilize in our program because students experiencing food insecurity may
believe that their challenges are not of importance to others. They may feel shame and dismissed by their
university if they do not feel supported.
5. Isabella - Kegan’s (1994) Theory of the Evolution of Consciousness describes how students grow
intellectually and then how a person organizes their experiences in their mind. This theory relates to self-
authorship and how individuals try to make themselves different while simultaneously adapting to their
surroundings. This theory would be helpful to craft our program because many students facing this problem
are learning how to become an author of their own life. Keegan (1994) discussed how difficult modern life
can be for adults. These students are facing a struggle where they are trying to become their own person, but
they are having difficulty doing so because of food insecurity.

Step 4. Analyze student characteristics in the context of the selected theories

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1. Maslow - Using Maslow’s theory, first-year students at UCI experiencing food insecurities are failing to meet
the most basic need, and therefore must shift their focus and energy from academics to fulfilling their hunger.
The average student at UCI takes 16 units after their first quarter. The courses are challenging but many
students lack concentration due to low energy and because they are worrying about when and where their next
meal will be. Those that do not have a meal plan must look for a means to acquire food or must pay for food.
Those who do not have an unlimited access meal plan must strategize how to use their “swipes” so that they
last the whole quarter.
2. Schlossberg (1981) - Transition Theory suggests that first-year students at UCI would consider their move to
an anticipated transition. For first year students, this would be the transition of moving away from home and
becoming independent. Majority of the students are accustomed to being provided with a meal by their
guardian and will now have to cook for themselves or rely on their meal plan.
3. Bronfenbrenner - Placing UCI students in the four components of the Person-Environment Theory, we can
see how interactions in these areas influence food insecurity and students development. In the Person
Component, focus is placed on the student’s attributes, known as Developmentally Instigative Characteristics.
These characteristics include those that invite or inhibit responses from the environment. This can be seen as
students accepting and seeking help or choosing to not accept and not seek help from individuals or resources
that can address their food insecurity. Inhibitory characteristics can also be seen as practicing self agency,
where students choose to address their food insecurity by themselves.
4. Schlossberg (1989) - First-year students living in the residential halls of UCI, facing food insecurity, will
experience feelings of mattering and marginality depending on the efforts of the institution to provide support
in the form of programming, faculty, staff and peers for these students.
5. Kegan - Theory of the Evolution of Consciousness - The students at UCI facing food insecurity are feeling
confused by all of the changes and constantly happening around them. They are unable to succeed because of
food insecurity, and that burden can hinder their ability to be a successful person inside and outside of the
classroom. These students want to become independent, so they may be hesitant to participate in programs
designed to help them. On the other hand, some students may be very willing to utilize their resources on their
path to self-authorship.

Step 5. Analyze environmental characteristics in the context of the selected theories

1. Maslow - This theory states that physiological needs must be satisfied in order for individuals to move up in
the hierarchy. In this case, the first need that must be satisfied is hunger. Near UCI, students can walk to two
shopping centers near the school and apartment complexes to buy groceries. The grocery stores there are
Trader Joe’s and Albertsons which are expensive for college students who come from low-income areas or
students who don’t have the financial luxury to spend money on expensive food products. The campus has
two dining halls on each side of campus. The main food court is located at the Student Center and the other
two food courts are located within Aldrich Park, which is at the center of campus. There are also various
Starbucks, coffee shops, and vending machines within the campus. Many first-year students do not have the
financial means to buy food to satisfy their hunger. UCI has a Basic Needs Center which provides food,
toiletries, and life skills workshops to students. However, the center is located at a lot near only one of the
housing complexes, which is not near main campus.
2. Schlossberg (1981) -Based on Transition Theory, one of the environmental factors that influence student’s
ability to cope with the transition is support. Examples of support may be in the form of resident advisor
programs, the UCI Pantry, and meal plans.
3. Bronfenbrenner - The theory includes four levels of external influences that impact students’ development.
They are the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. An example of a microsystem in our
case may be student-family relationships and roommates. Mesosystems at UCI may include the relationship
between Housing and Residential Life and their Basic Needs Office. Some exosystem influences may be their
families financial contributions, federal aid, and immigration policies. These external factors impact students’
eligibility and access to food insecurity resources. Macrosystem influences may be the campus culture and
discourse surrounding food insecurity.
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4. Schlossberg (1989) - The theory of Mattering and Marginality emphasizes creating a sense of belonging on
campuses for marginalized students to feel seen. A strong sense of belonging can positively impact students
dealing with food insecurity because they may be more willing to seek support if they feel their university
cares and is concerned about their well-being.
5. Kegan - The theory of the Evolution of Consciousness (Kegan, 1994) directly ties into the environment
students are in during this transitional part of their life. In this case, the student's environment needs to
support them in their current stage of development, and then help students move to their next stage of
development. For this population of students to do well, UCI needs to create an environment in the residence
halls where students feel supported and are aware of their resources and how to utilize them.

Step 6. Identify potential sources of challenge and support

Bronfenbrenner/students/challenges - Students’ characteristics will determine the challenges they face
in seeking and accepting help from peers, faculty, and staff to address their food insecurity. For example, some
students may know that resources are available and will actively seek and accept help, but others may not. This
poses a challenge for those students who are not accustomed to receiving or accepting help due to cultural or
societal barriers or stigmas. The work we provide through awareness and programming on food insecurity will
help create an environment that helps dissociate the stigmas surrounding this universal concern and enlighten the
campus community on the misconceptions of food assistance.

Bronfenbrenner/students/supports - The work we provide through awareness and programming on

food insecurity will help create an environment that helps dissociate the stigmas surrounding this universal
concern and enlighten the campus community on the misconceptions around food assistance.With creating an
environment that is aware of this campus wide concern, that anybody can be facing in their lifetime, students will
be more willing to accept help when they see others accepting aid and as a normal everyday thing that people in
their campus community practice.

Bronfenbrenner/environment/challenges - First-year students living on campus are being introduced

and referred to multiple resources available on-campus. Students’ interactions with different on-campus
departments may influence their development. Creating food insecurity resources should be a collaborative effort
between different departments versus working in silos. Our challenge will be creating a bridge across different
campus departments to ensure all are actively working towards achieving the same goal of food security.

Bronfenbrenner/environment/supports - Our programs are focused on supporting first-year students

living in residential halls. Students living on-campus have closer proximity and access to resources surrounding
food insecurity. Programming provided inside of their dorms will ensure they have current information and
constant access to support. Their likelihood of interacting with on-campus resources is also higher than those
living off-campus or commuting.

Maslow/students/challenges - Our focus is on supporting first-year students living in the residential halls
of UCI. Students are expected to have a meal plan, but not all may be able to afford one that lasts for the entirety
of their stay on campus. As first-year students, they may not know how or want to talk about living with food
insecurity, due to associated stigmas. Students may struggle seeking the resources they need and may feel too
much pride to admit they need help.

Maslow/students/supports - First-year students who are struggling with food insecurity while living in
the residential halls of UCI need to feel supported by the campus community. If students are cared for - and can
have this basic need met, they can then thrive in a college setting. To feel supported, food insecurity needs to be
distgamized by those around them. If there are targeted events that inform their peers, staff, and faculty about the
pervasive issues of food insecurity, they might feel more understood on campus.
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Maslow/environment/challenges - The location of the school can be seen as a challenge in the

environment for students. UCI is located in an extremely wealthy city, so students may struggle with the fact that
many of their peers do not face their same struggles. These students might be less likely to ask for help because of
what a part of their environment looks like.

Maslow/environment/supports - These first year students are living in housing, which is fulfilling the
physiological and safety sections of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Living within the residence hall can also aid
with students finding a sense of belonging. The environment of living in the residence halls can be helpful for this
population of students because they can be around a Resident Advisor that might hold programming relating to
education, free food, and free services.

Step 7. Reexamine goals and objectives (Re-analyze and solidify goals and outcomes)
Our original goal and objectives were primarily focused on first-year students in residential halls facing food
insecurity, rather than considering all students living on-campus. Long term goals would include all students
living in residence halls and creating a campus-wide effort to solve food insecurity. By having accessible
locations in residential halls, universities can ensure they are providing services at all times for all residents.

Step 8 - Design the learning process

Jose - Food for Thought is a workshop that will teach students to make snacks that do not require baking or
cooking. Every workshop will be hosted at Middle Earth Housing (Arkenstone and Buckleberry Library) and
Mesa Court (Study Pavilions). The program will run for approximately 1.5 hours. The event will start by
introducing formal theory and talking about food insecurity and its impact on students. Then, students will have
the opportunity to learn and make snacks that do not require baking or cooking. Food for Thought will come from
the UCI Housing budget, and it will be a budget of $300 or $10 per student. The event will be staffed by 5
Resident Assistants and 1 staff from Basic Needs. This event will be in collaboration with the Food Pantry and
they will provide some of the ingredients for snacks. Additionally, this program will promote Food Pantry on
campus and will bring awareness of other resources available to students, whether they are on or off campus.

Christina - The Let's Get Secure Workshop will be done at every residential hall and will be open to all
students living in a residence hall at UC Irvine. The event will explore the stigma associated with being food
insecure, and help students reframe their understanding of what it means to be food insecure. The workshop will
also provide students with a list of available resources they can utilize to help combat food security. The program
will run for 1.5 hours and will include a presentation, discussion, and open forum. The program will have a
budget of $75 per each residential hall to provide food students, which will be split between the residential hall
association and the Wellness, Health, and Counseling Services. Stickers will be supplied by Wellness, Health, and
Counseling Services; the stickers will say "Let's Get Secure" to promote the utilization of on-campus food
resources and reduce stigma. The program will be staffed by 2-3 Resident Assistants and 1 staff member from
Wellness, Health, and Counseling Services. The goal of the program is to bring awareness to the food insecurity
issue that exists at UC Irvine, to reduce the stigma surrounding food insecurity, and to provide students with a list
of resources they can utilize. The program will help students feel empowered and supported by their campus
community.
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Isabella - Food University is a workshop designed to introduce students to the various dining options and
resources supplying food at UC Irvine. The workshop would have a lecture-style presentation teaching students
about the food resources on campus and educating students about their meal plans. The presentation would be
followed by a tour of the dining halls and food pantry. The workshop would be educational and interactive, and
would educate students on the resources the campus provides. Students can learn to navigate the dining hall and
other food spaces, as well as fully understand their meal plan and what that entails. Food University would help
students make educated choices around their eating, and combat food insecurity. If a student is facing food
insecurity they will know where to go on campus, and how they can maximize their meal plan. Dining halls and
food options can be extremely overwhelming for new students, therefore giving students the knowledge necessary
can make these spaces easier to navigate. When students are done with their presentation, they will receive a gift
card to one of the dining options on campus and be provided pamphlets to reference after the presentation. The
overall goal of this workshop is to educate students about their food options. The workshop would last two hours,
and have a budget of $100 for the gift cards. The workshop would be a collaboration between Housing and
Campus Dining Services, and could be run by housing staff.

Paola - Budget. Shop. Cook. is a workshop created for students living in on-campus UCI housing to learn
independent living skills like grocery budgeting and basic cooking skills. This workshop will teach students how
they can make affordable meals. The workshop will be hosted in UCI Student housing and hosted in collaboration
UCI Basic Needs Office and UCI Dining Services staff. The event will run for two hours. The workshop will
feature an interactive segment where a dining hall chef will guide students through a cooking demonstration using
the free kitchen tools available to students in their dorm kitchens. All of the ingredients (i.e. vegetables or canned
goods) used in the cooking demonstration will be provided by UCI Basic Needs’ Food Pantry to show students
the variety of free food available to them. Students at the end of the workshop will know a few essential
independent living skills that will help them prepare affordable and nutritious meals.

Gregorio - Combating Food Insecurity, will take place Friday, October 16, 2020 in the Crystal Cove
Auditorium from 3:30PM – 4:30PM. Registration to the workshop will be recorded in order to determine the
number of attendees. The venue has seating for 425 people, but we will also be providing coverage via Zoom for
those who wish to participate online. The workshop is designed in collaboration between Student Services and the
Academic Senate, geared towards providing faculty and staff with information and tools to address food
insecurity among first-year residential students. The workshop will introduce professional staff to the services and
resources provided by offices dedicated to helping students experiencing food insecurity as well as their location,
operating hours, and services provided. Additionally, the workshop will present Maslow’s (1970) Hierarchy of
Needs, connecting the importance of faculty and staff as critical components in helping students meet their basic
needs and the effects of not meeting these needs on their academics and development. The workshop will end
with actions faculty and staff can take in providing a web of support for students. All attendees will be provided
with a folder containing marketing material for campus resources and services to be taken back for display in their
area of work. For those who were not able to make it to the workshop, a zoom recording will be provided along
with digital forms of materials accessible to everyone.

Step 9 - Implementation of the program

Step 10 - Evaluate the program

1. Student Satisfaction - After every event, students will be provided an evaluation sheet where they can
share their opinions of the event. These results will be shared with all campus partners who collaborated
in the development and presentation of our events.
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2. Learning - We will conduct a pre-assessment before events to see what students already know about
food insecurity. Our post-assessment will be assessing whether students could identify the contributing
factors of food insecurity and the effects on students' college experience. The post-assessment will be
included with our student satisfaction survey.

3. Behavior Changes - In collaboration with the Basic Needs Office, we will look at whether the usage
of the food pantry has increased or decreased after our events. We also plan to look at the patterns of
usage of regular and guest swipes at the dining commons.

4. Overall Goals - All of our programming events will include an evaluation that aligns with our overall
goals and objectives. These objectives include positive improvements in the following areas: accessing on
campus food resources, increase in awareness of food insecurity, and have a basic understanding of
independent living skills.

Step 11 - Redesign the program as necessary (Re-evaluate and redesign)

Our initial goals and objectives were achieved. In the future, we would consider broadening the access of our
events to cater to commuting students and collaborating with Orientation so that students have this information
prior to attending UCI. This includes having resources online and having varying hours where these events are
available.
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Appendix A - Jose Bejar

Food for Thought

Description
This workshop will focus on teaching students how to make snacks that do not require baking or
cooking. One of the challenges that students face is not having enough income to allow them to eat
multiple times a day, buy snacks at stores, or afford an unlimited meal plan for the dining hall. They also
have to share a kitchen with all the other students in their residence hall, so cooking and baking is not a
viable option for them. A way to help students is to teach them how to make snacks that do not require
baking or cooking. The workshop will start off with a “Kahoot!” in which the questions will show
pictures of a snack and students will have to identify whether the snack was baked/cooked or not along
with some true or false statements about food insecurity. This will allow students to start thinking of the
different types of snacks they can make and will give us insight into their knowledge of snack making
skills and food insecurity. Students will then learn about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how food
insecurity impacts them while engaging in conversations that ask them to draw upon their informal
experiences. We will then promote the Basic Needs Food Pantry on campus and other resources on and
off campus that students can use. After, students will participate in making snacks by using the
ingredients and recipes we have provided for them. The ingredients are accessible to them through Food
Pantry, Albertsons, or Trader Joes (Albertsons and Trader Joes are in front of campus). They will have
the opportunity to rotate through all the stations to make each of the snacks, and it will be a follow-along
tutorial with an RA leading it.

After the activity, participants will discuss the following: which snack was the easiest to make,
which was their favorite snack to make and, and what snacks do they recommend to make that we
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did not cover. Being able to discuss and share ideas can allow students to become creative when
making snacks on their own. The ideas that they come up with can be recipes that will be used
during the next workshop. In the end, the students will be given a survey to assess their satisfaction
with the workshop and it will ask them to write down the steps to making one the snacks that they
made during the workshop.

Student Learning Outcomes

● SWiBAT make snacks that do not require baking or cooking.
● SWiBAT identify resources on campus and off-campus that support students experiencing
food insecurity

Learning Standards/Objectives Addressed

● Leadership
● Assessment and Evaluation
● Education
● Social Justice and Advocacy
● Personal and Professional Development

Connections to Theory and/or Student Characteristics

● Maslow’s (1970) Hierarchy of Needs states that students need to satisfy their physiological
basic needs such as hunger, shelter, sleep, and thirst. Then, they can start to pursue higher
needs such as safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.
● Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory defines a transition as an event or non-event that
results in a change in relationships, routines, assumptions, or roles. For a student, this can be
the transition of moving away from home and not having access to a kitchen or meals prepared
by their guardian. If a student is not feeling enough support or acquiring the skills needed, they
may not be able to cope with the change of living away from home.
● Schlossberg’s (1989) Marginality and Mattering theory tell us that whether students feel that
they belong and are of importance can impact students’ development and experiences in
college. Students experiencing food insecurity may believe that their challenges are not
important to others or they may feel shame if they are not supported.
● Kolb’s (1981) cycle of learning will be applied to the delivery of the lesson plan.

Assessment Strategy

Advanced Competent Basic Needs

Improvement

SLO #1: In addition to Students can make Students will be Students cannot
SWiBAT make “competent”, 2-3 snacks that do able to make 1 make a snack that
snacks that do not students were able not require snack that does does not require
require cooking or to explain the cooking or baking. not require cooking or baking.
baking process of making cooking or baking.
the snacks
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without looking at
the instructions or
shared recipes and
other similar
snacks they have
made in the past

SLO #2: In addition to Students were able Students were able Students were not
SWiBAT identify “competent”, to identify 2-3 on- to identify 1 on- able to identify
resources on students were able campus and off- campus resource any resources
campus that to pinpoint the campus resources. and one off- available to them.
support students locations of the campus resource.
experiencing food resources on a
insecurity. map or share their
experiences of
other resources
they have used in
the past.
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Set Up, Materials Needed, etc.

● PowerPoint of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs with Food Pantry and other resources
● Hand out of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and list of campus resources
● Brochures/ Flyers of Food Pantry and other resources
● Ingredients for the snacks
● Napkins, plates, utensils
● Trashcan
● Handwashing Station
● Recipe with step by step instructions for the snack
● Stations for each snack
● QR code of the survey, link of the survey on the PowerPoint, and physical copies of the survey
● Pens
● Disposable Plates

Activity Plan:
1. Welcome (5 minutes)
a. Facilitators will introduce themselves and the purpose of the workshop.
2. Concrete Experience – Student Introduction (10 minutes)
a. Students will be asked to introduce themselves (name, major, residence hall they live
in, and favorite snack now and as a child).
b. Kahoot!
i. Questions will show pictures of a snack and students will have to identify
whether the snack was baked/cooked or not.
3. Abstract Conceptualization – Group Discussion (15 minutes)
a. PowerPoint Presentation on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs tied to Food Insecurity
i. Hand out will be provided and will include the promotion of on-campus
and off-campus resources.
b. Students will be asked to participate and draw from their informal experiences.
4. Active Experimentation – Making Snacks (60 minutes)
a. Students will be counted off into groups and break off into their assigned
stations.
b. Students will have 10 minutes at each station making the snack. It is divided into 2
phases.
i. I Do
• The facilitator will demonstrate how to make the snack
ii. You Do
• The facilitator will watch as the students do the snack independently
c. There are five stations, for a total of 60 minutes.
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5. Reflective Observation – Group Discussion (5 minutes)

a. Participants will discuss the following: which snack was the easiest to make,
which was their favorite snack to make and, and what snacks do they
recommend to make that we did not cover.

Assessment Results
● A pre- and post-assessment survey will be distributed at the beginning of the
workshop and at the end.
• “Kahoot!” will be used as a pre-survey
• The post-assessment will assess their satisfaction and will ask them
to write down the steps to making one the snacks that they made
during the workshop.

Reflection, Notes, Future Changes, etc. TBD

Created by Jose Bejar, Christina Cruz, Isabella Ferrante, Paola Martinez, and Gregorio Reyes
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Appendix B - Christina Cruz

Let’s Get Secure: Addressing the Stigma and Growing Concern of Food Insecurity
Amongst College Students

Description: The Let's Get Secure Workshop will be a cross-campus collaboration between
Residential Advisors and Wellness, Health, And Counseling Services to introduce and eliminate
the stigma surrounding food insecurity. Residential Advisors will promote the event to their
residents, and free food will be provided to all those in attendance. Wellness, Health, And
Counseling Services will discuss the stigma surrounding food insecurity at UC Irvine and
explore how different ethnic and cultural groups stigmatize 'asking for help.' Wellness, Health,
And Counseling Services will describe what it means to be food insecure, and introduce more
positive terminology to promote the use of on-campus services to combat food insecurity.
Wellness, Health, And Counseling Services will provide students with strategies to connect their
peers to the proper resources. Wellness, Health, And Counseling Services will also do a brief
introduction to the percentage of college students who struggle with food insecurity to show that
it is a genuine concern, and not just a stigma. They will present numbers and results of studies
that showcase the contributing factors that lead students to becoming food insecure.
The workshop will allow for students to anonymously voice their questions and concerns
through a digital platform. This will help workshop facilitators to lead a discussion that caters to
their audience, without making students feel alienated. The goal of the workshop is to ensure
students leave feeling empowered to utilize their on-campus resources and help end the stigma
surrounding food insecurity. Students will be given a "Let's Get Secure" sticker at the end of the
workshop to help create dialogue and awareness surrounding food insecurity.
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Student Learning Outcomes

● SWiBAT identify what food insecurity is and understand the leading factors that cause
college students to become food insecure
● SWiBAT promote and identify services to their peers that mitigate food insecurity on
campus

Learning Standards/Objectives Addressed

● Leadership
● Education
● Assessment and Evaluation
● Personal and Professional Development
● Social Justice and Advocacy

Connections to Theory and or Student Characteristics

1. Brofenbrenner (1973, 1979, & 2005) examines the external influences that impact a
students development; some students may be faced with challenges in seeking resources
because they are not aware that they have resources at all. This workshop will support
students and their peers because it will increase awareness of resources and end stigmas
surrounding food insecurity. Students will feel more supported through this workshop
and also have the support of the peers who have also attended the workshop and are now
willing to help others.
2. Maslow (1970) explores students Hierarchy of Needs, and one of those needs is hunger;
for students who are struggling with food insecurity while living in residential halls, it is
vital that they feel supported and cared for by their community in order to meet their own
basic needs and be able to pursue their higher education. This event will allow for
students to combat stigma and learn and connect their peers to resources on campus.

Assessment Strategy:

Advanced Competent Basic Needs to Improve

SLO #1: SWiBAT In addition to Students Students Students do not

“component” understand what understand what know what food
students are open food insecurity food insecurity insecurity is or
able to share this means AND can means AND can what causes it
information with identify at least 2 identify at least 1
their peers and factors that factor that
connect what they contributes to food contributes to food
learned to their insecurity insecurity
college experience

SLO #2: SWiBAT In addition to Students are able Students are able Students do not
“component” to identify 2 to identify 1 know of any
students are able services on service to combat services that can
to promote these campus to combat food insecurity help combat food
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services to their food insecurity insecurity

peers and make and are able to
connections with share this info
what they see with their peers
happening in their
own experiences

Set Up, Materials Needed, etc.

● Pre and Post Assessment Surveys

● PowerPoint provided by Health and Wellness
● “Lets Get Secure” Stickers
● Health and Wellness Handout promoting food insecurity and list of resources
● Food that will be provided at the workshop

Activity Plan -

1. Welcome (10 minute)

a. Students will be asked to fill out a 2 minute pre questionnaire
b. Resident Assistants and Health and Wellness workshop presenter will say hello,
introduce themselves and invite everyone to get food from the side tables
2. Icebreaker (10 minutes)
a. Students will be asked to break into groups of 2 and have a minute to ask their
partner for their name, year, major, and movie or tv show that describes their life.
People will then be asked to volunteer to introduce their partner
3. Presentation (30 minutes)
a. Health and Wellness will present what it means to be food insecure, and share the
factors that can lead to becoming food insecure. The presenter will discuss why
stigma exists, and why it may be more prevalent in some cultures than others. The
presenter will then share resources that can combat food insecurity. After
explaining what food insecurity is, and explaining how real it is - the presenter
will invite students to reflect on if their own culture may have negative
connotations surrounding ‘asking for help’.
4. Discussions (20 minutes)
a. The presenter will pull up a PollEv with the question displayed and ask students
to anonymously share their associations with food insecurity.
b. Students will be invited to join in an open dialogue surrounding food insecurity
and why the sigma may exist
5. Open Forum / Q&A (15 minutes)
a. The presenter will pull up another PollEv asking for questions / comments and
address these common questions / concerns with students
6. Closing (5 minutes)
a. Students will be asked to fill out a 2 minute post questionnaire
 15

b. On their way out students will be given “Get Secure” stickers and one page
handouts summarizing the workshops as well as a list of resource

Reflection, Notes, Future Changes, etc. TBD

Created by Jose Bejar, Christina Cruz, Isabella Ferrante, Paola Martinez, and Gregorio Reyes
 16

Appendix C - Isabella Ferrante

Description
Food University is a workshop designed to introduce students to the food resources at UC
Irvine. This workshop would be a combination of tours and a lecture-style presentation. The
workshop would be two hours; an hour and a half for the tour and then 30 minutes for the
lecture. Food University would be a collaboration between Housing and Dining Services. This
workshop is designed to familiarize students with all of their dining options offered at the
university. Food University can aid in lessening food insecurity at UC Irvine by showing new
students all of their options available for dining. Dining halls can be overwhelming for students
because of the large variety of options. If a student could see how to navigate the dining hall,
they might be less likely to spend their money at an on-campus restaurant. This workshop can
also aid in less food insecurity by showing students the Food Pantry and making them aware of
this free resource.
This workshop would take students on a tour of the dining halls and the UCI food pantry.
The majority of the time on the tours would be spent going through the dining hall and food
pantry. While in the dining hall, the staff can show students the different stations of food, seating
areas, and then how to clean up your food as well. Knowing what options the dining hall has can
be important for new students so that they can learn how to put together their own healthy and
filling meal.
In addition to the tours of the physical spaces, the presentation would address questions
about meal plans, on-campus restaurant options, and introduce students as to how the campus
uses Grubhub for mobile ordering. By the end of the workshop, students should at least be
 17

familiar with what their different options are. To incentivize the workshop, every participant
could get a $5-$10 gift card of FlexDine money.
Ideally, this workshop would be done during a time of day that is quiet in the dining hall
to make the space less overwhelming and welcoming to students trying to navigate this space.
Food University would be marketed to first-year students living in the residence halls but would
be open to all students if they are interested. The workshop would consist of 10-15 students, and
be facilitated by one or two staff members. Food University would need a budget of $100 for the
gift cards given out at the end of the workshop.

Student Learning Outcomes

● SLO #1: SWiBAT locate food resources on campus and familiarize themselves with
those spaces.
● SLO #2: SWiBAT recall the various dining options and understand what their meal plan
entails.

Learning Standards/Objectives Addressed

❏ Leadership ✓ Education
❏ Assessment and Evaluation ✓ Personal and Professional
❏ Social Justice Advocacy Development

Connections to Theory and/or Student Characteristics

● Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory views the transition of young adults moving to
college and living independently as an important life change. Many first time freshmen
struggle to adapt to living on their own because of the newfound responsibility. Although
the food is provided for them by the school, students might not know how to use these
resources to fulfill their needs. This program can help students going through this
important life transition by teaching them how to be responsible for their own eating.
● Maslow (1970) explores students' Hierarchy of Needs, and one of the basic physiological
needs is hunger. Many college students are facing food insecurity. This event addresses
food insecurity by introducing students to the food pantry at UCI. The event can also help
alleviate hunger by helping new students become familiar with the dining options at UCI.
The dining hall can be an overwhelming place for new students, so it is vital that students
feel comfortable navigating that space.

Assessment Strategy
Advanced Competent Basic Needs
Improvements

SLO #1 Students can confidently Students know Students know Students know
navigate the dining hall and where the dining where the dining where the dining
food resources on campus. halls are and have halls are located halls are located.
familiarize and have used the
 18

themselves with facility before.

that space.

SLO #2 Students can recall various
dining options on campus
and fully understand how to
utilize their meal plan and
on-campus food resources.
Students recall Students not only Students recall
campus dining can recall the what the various
options and know various dining dining options are.
what their meal options but also
plan consists of. understand what
their meal plan
entails.

Set Up, Materials Needed, etc.

● Pre and Post Assessment Surveys
● Presentation on Campus Dining
● Technology needed for presentation
● Gift Cards
● Pamphlets from Campus Dining for Students to take with them after

Activity Plan
1. Welcome (5 Minutes)
a. Facilitators will introduce themselves
b. Students will take a pre-assessment survey to evaluate their current knowledge of
dining options on campus
2. Introduction Icebreaker (5 minutes)
a. Students will go around and introduce themselves
i. Name
ii. Major
iii. Residence Hall
iv. Favorite Food
3. Presentation (30 minutes)
a. Housing in collaboration with Campus Dining Services will present to the
students and go over the information around food services at UC Irvine. The
topics discussed will be meal plans, an overview of all of the dining options, and
the food pantry. The general prices and how to pay for each option will also be
addressed.
4. Campus Tour (1 Hour)
a. The tour will cover the two dining halls on campus as well as the food pantry. The
dining hall tours will go over the different stations and how students can put
together meals that fit the students’ individual needs. The tour of the food pantry
is meant to get the students familiar with the space and make them feel
comfortable coming back if they ever need to.
 19

5. Closing (5 minutes)
a. Students will fill out a post assessment survey looking at their comfortability level
and knowledge of the spaces.
b. They will be given a gift card and pamphlets on their way out.

Reflection, Notes, Future Changes, etc. TBD

Created by Jose Bejar, Christina Cruz, Isabella Ferrante, Paola Martinez, Gregorio Reyes
 20

Appendix D - Paola Martinez

Budget. Shop. Cook.

Description
This workshop will focus on teaching students living on-campus how to cook nutritious
meals on a budget. The workshop aims to do so by teaching students basic cooking skills and
how to properly use the tools available to them in their residential hall kitchenettes. All of the
residential halls at UC Irvine (UCI) are equipped with a small kitchen furnished with a stove,
oven, full-size refrigerator, and microwave. Moving away from home for the first time
challenges students to learn independent living skills like preparing meals for themselves. In
order to support students who are coping with food insecurity, this workshop will also include
resources and tips on how to budget and grocery shop for affordable meals.
The workshop will begin with teaching students how to budget for a week’s worth of
meals. We will first check students’ knowledge about budgeting by asking them to fill out a short
survey. Students will be asked to share how much money they think is required to make a
nutritious meal. Students will also be asked to share their level of cooking skills (i.e. basic,
moderate, advanced). Next, we will present a short presentation of which food items have the
highest nutritional benefits and are an affordable option for students. Students will be provided
with examples of grocery lists they can utilize in order to prepare meals. Students will also be
informed about the variety of healthy food ingredients available in the campus food pantry. In
collaboration with UCI Dining Services and UCI Basic Needs, we will have a chef teach students
how they can prepare an easy meal utilizing tools available to them in their dorm kitchenette.
The chef will teach students basic cooking skills like chopping vegetables, boiling water, and
 21

stovetop cooking. All of the ingredients utilized in the demonstration will be from the UCI’s
Basic Needs food pantry to give students a realistic example. Finally, we will end with a short
survey to assess how helpful the demonstration was and what skills they are taking away from
the workshop.

Student Learning Outcomes

● SWiBAT identify at least two budgeting tips they can use for grocery shopping.
● SWiBAT reproduce at least one of the basic cooking skills demonstrated.

Learning Standards/Objectives Addressed

❏ Leadership ✔ Education
❏ Assessment and Evaluation ✔ Personal and Professional
✔ Social Justice Advocacy Development

Connection to Theory and/or Student Characteristics

● Bronfenbrenner’s (1973, 1979, & 2005) Person-Environment theory emphasizes how a
students’ direct environment can either positively or negatively impact their
development. This workshop plans to make students’ immediate environment in their
dorms more conducive to their development. Students dealing with food insecurity will
benefit from having workshops and resources available to them within their dorms. The
goal is to make students aware of the free resources available to them within their own
dorms, such as the equipment in their kitchenettes.
● Maslow’s (1970) Hierarchy of Needs explains how students’ basic needs like food and
housing need to be secure in order to support their development. By introducing students
to basic cooking skills and budgeting tips, the hopes are that students will have a
foundation to begin making informed decisions about meal prepping. Students
experiencing food insecurity may have information about affordable produce or canned
goods they can use to make nutritious meals without exhausting their limited resources.
This workshop is intentionally utilizing the resources from the campus Food Pantry to
show students who are dealing with food insecurity what meals they can make out of free
food available on campus.

Assessment Strategy:
Advanced Competent Basic Needs Improvement

SLO #1: Students were able Students were able Students were able to Students were unable
SWiBAT to identify three or to identify three identify two to identify any
more budgeting budgeting tips to budgeting tips they budgeting tips they
tips for grocery use for grocery can use for grocery
can use for grocery
shopping and give shopping and give shopping.
shopping.
 22

multiple examples one example of an

of affordable affordable produce
produce or canned or canned good to
goods to purchase. purchase.

SLO #2: Students were able Students were able Students were able to Students were unable
SWiBAT to reproduce all to reproduce at least reproduce at least to reproduce any of
three of the basic two of the basic one of the basic the basic cooking
cooking skills and cooking skills. cooking skills skills demonstrated.
feel confident they demonstrated.
can explain to their
peers how to
execute this
method.

Set Up, Materials Needed, etc.

● PowerPoint on budgeting tips.
● Handouts of an example grocery list.
● Kitchen utensils: knives, cutting board, measuring cups, pots, stirring spoons, frying pan.
● Meal ingredients provided by the UCI Food Pantry (i.e. produce, vegetables, canned
goods, condiments).

Activity Plan
1. Welcome (5 minutes)
a. Presenters will introduce themselves and the guest presenters (Dining Hall Chef)
b. The purpose of the workshop will be explained to students.
2. Concrete Experience (15 minutes)
a. Students will individually fill out a short pre-assessment to measure their initial
knowledge about grocery budgeting, and their level of cooking skills (i.e. basic,
moderate, advanced).
b. After about 5 minutes we will ask students to share what they answered in the
survey.
3. Abstract Conceptualization (15 minutes)
a. Presenters will show a short PowerPoint highlighting important budgeting skills
to use and which produce and canned goods are the most affordable and have high
nutritional value.
b. UCI Food Pantry will highlight which food items are available in their pantry.
c. Students will be provided handouts of example grocery lists they can use when
shopping
4. Active Experimentation - Cooking Demonstration (50 minutes)
 23

a. The dining hall chef will begin by explaining to students what are the essential
basic cooking skills they need to know to prepare a meal.
i. For example, how to chop vegetables and boiling water.
b. The Chef will demonstrate an easy recipe using the tools available in their dorm
kitchenette using produce and canned goods available at the Food Pantry.
c. Students will have the opportunity to follow along with the chef and practice
cooking skills like chopping vegetables and mixing ingredients.
5. Reflective Observation - Closing (15 minutes)
a. Presenters will recap the main learning objectives of grocery budgeting and
cooking skills.
b. Students will be asked to a short post-survey to assess how helpful the cooking
demonstration was and what skills they are taking away from the workshop.

Assessment Results
● A pre- and post-assessment will be distributed at the beginning and end of the workshop
to assess students' learning and satisfaction.

Reflection, Notes, Future Changes, etc. TBD

Created by Jose Bejar, Christina Cruz, Isabella Ferrante, Paola Martinez, Gregorio Reyes
 24

Appendix E - Gregorio Reyes

Combating Food Insecurity

Description:

UC Irvine’s, Combating Food Insecurity, will provide staff and faculty with information
on the resources and services available to students facing food insecurity as well as how to assist
students within the scope of their offices, departments and daily interactions. The goal of this
program is to increase the knowledge of the campus community on food security sources and
advocating for the wellbeing of students. Program structure is based on Bronfenbrenner’s (1979,
1993, 2005) Person-Environment Theory of Development, Schlossberg’s (1989) Mattering and
Marginality Theory, and Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory. Application of these theories
to the design of the workshop will help develop environmental catalysts of faculty and staff, by
providing guiding support to first-year residential students in their transition to college life.

Student Learning Outcomes

● SWiBAT locate services and understand the procedures in obtaining resources
● SWiBAT facilitate their transition to college through environmental interactions with
professional staff advocates throughout the campus community
Learning Standards/ Objectives Addressed
● Leadership
● Education
● Social Justice & Advocacy
Connections to Theory and/ or Student Characteristics
1. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1993, 2005) Person-Environment theory explains how the
interactions between students and their environment help promote or inhibit
development. By creating an informed environment with available resources, access and
advocacy increases.
 25

2. Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition theory explains how students' change in environment can
impact their ability to establish themselves in their new role and environment. With new
changes in access to meals, students benefit from the support in their new relationships,
roles and routines.
3. Schlossberg’s (1989) Marginality and Mattering, explains students’ development of
marginality and mattering feelings, on the perception if they matter to others in the
college environment. The network of faculty and staff knowledgeable in the area of food
insecurity among college students produces a support system for students to confide in.

Advanced Competent Basic Needs

Improvement
SLO #1: A substantial A considerable Resources were Resources were
SWiBAT locate increase in number of accessed at accessed by
services and access and students higher numbers students who
understand the knowledge of accessed in comparison to were directly
procedures in resources was services previous guided to
obtaining seen throughout throughout quarters, but not services by
resources different service campus, mainly significantly professional
providing from offices staff, but not
offices. closest to many
residential halls
SLO #2: Students not Students can Students can Students can
SWiBAT only can identify identity support identity support identify support
facilitate their support systems systems in: systems in: systems in: Peers
transition to in: Faculty, Faculty, Student Student Services
college through Student Services Services Staff, Staff, and Peers
environmental Staff, and Peers, and Peers
interactions with but they also are
professional a source of
staff advocates support for
throughout the others.
campus
community

Set Up, Materials Needed, etc.

● PowerPoint Presentation detailing: Services and resources, office locations, Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs connection to academics and development, steps for professional
staff to support and advocate for students facing food insecurity.
● Zoom meeting link creation and recording
● Services and resources marketing material for attendees
 26

Activity Plan
1. Welcome (5 Minutes)
a. Doors will be open 20 minutes before the start of the welcome for attendees to
find seating and collect folders containing marketing material
b. Academic Senate and Residential Hall Staff will introduce themselves, purpose of
the workshop
2. Presentation on Services and Resources Available at UC Irvine (15 Minutes)
a. Attendees will be provided with a detailed presentation on the services and
resources can access throughout the campus, operating hours, phone number and
procedures to accessing their services.
3. Presentation on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (15 Minutes)
a. Stuff
4. Presentation on Actions Professional Staff can take to Support Students (15 Minutes)
a. Presentation will provide detailed steps professional staff can take to help provide
a web of support within their own immediate interactions with students in the
classroom, offices, departments, college lobbies, etc.
b. Examples of forms of advocacy will be provided for professional staff to
determine the best way they can participate within the supportive network
5. End of Workshop (10 Minutes)
a. Workshop will end with a thank you of participation, advocacy and Q&A.
Assessments Results
● A pre and post assessment will be provided to attendees to determine their knowledge on
material covered
Reflection, Notes, Future Changes, etc. TBD
Created by Jose Bejar, Christina Cruz, Isabella Ferrante, Paola Martinez, Gregorio Reyes