NVC Student Advocacy & Resource Center Serves Several Thousand Students

The Northwest Vista College Student Advocacy & Resource Center has relocated to the first floor of Pecan Hall and recently expanded services to help several thousand NVC students manage the challenges of attending college.

Students get help with emergency student aid, essential needs - such as food, housing, and childcare costs - and individual and group mental health counseling at no cost.

According to NVC Student Advocacy & Resource Center Director Lisa Black, “In the Fall 2023 semester we were able to help 27 students avoid eviction.”

“In that same term, our GrabNGo station served 2,762 unduplicated students in more 27,000 visits for food items such as a ramen bowl with toppings, snacks, and drinks. And The Store served almost 1,050 students with groceries,” said Black.

As reported by Higher Learning Advocates, “Basic needs insecurity adversely affects students’ well-being, as well as their college persistence and completion.” Along with those findings, come lower student graduation rates.

Even with financial aid, grants, and student loans, students still face food insecurity. The San Antonio Food Bank website states that 38 % of students at two-year colleges experience hunger. With last year’s end of the temporary increase in SNAP benefits due to the pandemic, that number may be higher, especially for students with children.

“We know students often are faced with trying to stay in their classes or quit to take care of basic items, like finding their next meal,” said NVC President Amy Bosley. “The Advocacy Center now makes it easier for students to complete and graduate.”

The Student Advocacy & Resource Center is now located in the first floor of Pecan Hall, which increased the center to 10,710 square feet – over nine times its previous size.

Included in the new location are:

The Store – a food pantry for students to get groceries and hygiene products;
GrabNGo – a daily snack program where students can pick up a hearty snack and drink;
Health and Wellness – a center with personal items like feminine products, condoms, and masks;
Boutique Morado – a clothes closet which provides gently used clothing;
Sensory Safe Space – a safe and calming place for students on the spectrum or those struggling with anxiety or depression; and
Mental health and counseling.

Contact:
Lisa McDaniel
Strategic Communications Coordinator
Email: nvc-news@alamo.edu