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Yiwen Li

Professor Crooks

ENG 120 0588

May 10 2019

Harmful Myths and Flaws in the U.S. Education System

Nowadays, food and housing insecurity in college is a crucial and ongoing problem

for many American students. Young people do not receive the desired financial and material

aid from colleges, universities, and other civic organizations. Moreover, many skilled and

gifted students who have children do not receive adequate care and attention from college

administrators and professors. In 2017, Goldrick-Rab, Richardson, and Hernandez, experts in

higher education, conducted a study on homelessness and hunger as the primary issues of US

students. The scholars have proved that about 50% of community college students are

homeless (Goldrick-Rab et al. 1). Even though higher education institutions do not take

responsibility for reducing the basic needs insecurity rate among their students, the latter face

social, psychological, and physiological adverse effects on their lives, and take a ‘rational’

homelessness approach to receive a Master or PhD diploma, which only complicates this

issue.

Housing insecurity and homelessness are the primary factors that prevent students

from entering an educational institution successfully. The mentioned report by Goldrick-Rab

et al. states that almost 30% of college students who come from the system of foster care do

not have a permanent place for living (1). Mary Baxter, for instance, is one of those

individuals whose life and studying experience reflect the flaws of the US education system

in addressing the needs of socially vulnerable people (Invisible People). Even though this 35-

year-old has woman managed to raise a son, she cannot afford for them to live in a place with

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standard conditions and utilities. Entering a university has become a solution for Baxter, but

her high grades and portfolio have not influenced the decision of University of Chicago to

offer her affordable tuition (Invisible People 4:37-4:40). As Baxter claims, “unfortunately,

the college has become a business” (Invisible People 4:43-4:47) that does not consider

students’ inability to find a place for living and raise their children as the reason for

decreasing the price of knowledge. However, the number of home insecure and homeless

students with these statuses even before entering a college or a university does not depend on

a particular geographic factor. Therefore, it is necessary to have an in-depth look into other

causes for the homelessness of the youth.

The inability to complete a higher education degree is rather the adverse result of

basic needs insecurity of the American youth. Two years ago, the study indicated that “about

half of community college students were housing insecure, and 13 to 14 percent were

homeless” (Goldrick-Rab et al. 1) despite of a somewhat geographic variation of these two

aspects. Goldrick-Rab, one of the scholars who has reported on the above issues together with

her colleagues, argues that lack of adequate care for young people’s food and housing

security by the administrations of educational institutions affects their degree completion

(Simmons-Duffin and Dalrymple). Significantly, this problem arises for college students

belonging to every social category, which means that both low- and middle-class individuals

may be deprived of the opportunity to satisfy their daily needs in food and shelter.

Additionally, students, who face housing issues or who are already homeless, try to control

their spending on short-term needs, which usually leads to the loss of weight and constant

hunger (Belle). Overall, the house and food insecurity ‘launches’ a long-lasting personal

struggle to choose between the pursuit of long-term goals, such as receiving a higher

education diploma, and the satisfaction of basic needs that include having food and a place

for living.

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Besides harming students’ education, house insecurity and homelessness affect their

life stability. Young people who have been forced to leave their home or live in families

facing inconsistent housing issues cannot completely focus on building plans for the future, in

particular, those related to their studying. In 2017, Hallett and Freas conducted several

interviews with the youth who experience homelessness problems while studying at college.

The scholars indicated consistent instability as the most popular effect on the life of students

(Hallett and Freas 6). Without a permanent living place, young people have to couch surf or

even live on a street by combining such a regime with their education program in college. In

such inappropriate conditions, they focus on their surviving instead of thinking of how to

complete a degree (Hallett and Freas 7). At the same time, people may find a solution for

their family housing issues in paying more attention to their college lives, especially when

they encounter much happier moments there. For example, Hallett and Freas describe the

situation of Juan, the survey participant, who confirms having a relief when he attends

lessons in contrast to the discomfort of not having a necessary place for a night of sleep (7).

Overall, the insecure and inconsistent housing makes college students survive but not live and

enjoy the opportunity of high education.

Apart from the impact on the social life of college students, the basic needs insecurity

has an adverse psychological effect on them. Hallett and Freas call it “multifaceted and

persistent trauma” (7). The scholars argue that the residential instability of young people

ruins their “identity of ‘student’” (Hallett and Freas 7), which implies that this factor deprives

them of ordinary student life with all its exciting events. For example, Juan has developed an

individual approach to securing his housing by attending different parties every day, which

allows him to spend a night there (Hallett and Freas 8). Melissa and Sydney, the two other

participants of the survey, report on using various dating services to have a free dinner with

men, while spending a night in their places is also an option (Hallett and Freas 8). These three

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people confirmed that their experiences did not completely respond to the appropriate social

behavior norms and they felt psychological and physical discomfort every time they planned

their next housing option (Hallett and Freas 8). Thus, every case of the youth facing house

insecurity issues is unique and it depends on various social realities, but students are still the

first who become the hostages of circumstances.

The problem of residential instability affects the way the youth orients in an education

environment. Hallett and Freas mentioned Miguel, another interviewee who has had

experienced housing insecurity since early childhood as his drug addict mother could not

provide both of them with proper living conditions (8). The young man could not manage to

complete a college degree because of facing a full distraction from studying. At first sight,

this case may appear to be not so critical, but it would be imperative to know that Miguel

became homeless in his adolescence and has surfed since that time (Hallett and Freas 8). The

daily moving from one place to another affects his concentration, so he cannot remember

where he lives today, which hampers his commute to college. Therefore, the constant housing

instability disorients students in their daily life and distracts them from long-term goals for

high education.

At the same time, some students have begun to use homelessness as their only

approach to receive a college and university degree. When young people face basic needs

insecurity, a part of them courageously accept this reality and even try to use it for their

benefit. Although it is a paradox, students manage to graduate and receive their Master and

PhD degrees. An excellent example of such a loyally to education is Louis Tse, a 26-year-old

doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering in the University of California, Los Angeles

(Los Angeles Times). For about a year, Tse has lived in a car, which has been his individual

decision. As he claims, “homelessness can be a result of a rational decision-making” (Los

Angeles Times 3:32-3:39) in regards to saving money for tuition and food. To a particular

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extent, Louis’ strategy allows him to receive a PhD degree and build a successful career.

However, this strategy is not a winning one due to health and social insecurity that student

may face every day without having a proper living place. In a national perspective, the

philosophy of 'rational' homelessness can complicate the issue under discussion as it presents

a suitable way for goal-oriented students to receive a high education diploma.

Overall, the basic needs insecurity affects the social and psychological development

of American youths. Lack of money for buying food and paying rent as well as raising their

children causes a negative impact on such students’ socialization. Instead of receiving a high

education degree, they encounter a multifaceted trauma that has a long-lasting effect on their

further life. The use of the ‘rational’ homelessness does not justify such desperate efforts of

students to achieve their goals in high education and future career. Considering such a critical

issue, it is necessary to bring more attention to basic needs insecurity of college and

university students to prevent its fast development and help such people reveal their potential

without sacrificing their housing for sake of receiving a degree. The US educational system

should switch from a business environment to a civil-oriented one to reduce the adverse

effect of students' homelessness on their studying and life.

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Works Cited

Belle, Elly. "A Third of College Students Don’t Have Enough to Eat". Teen Vogue, 5 Apr.

2018, www.teenvogue.com/story/third-of-college-students-face-food-housing-

insecurity. Accessed 3 May 2019.

Goldrick-Rab, Sara, et al. “Hungry and Homeless in College: Results from A National Study

of Basic Needs Insecurity in Higher Education.” Wisconsin HOPE Lab, 2017,

hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Hungry-and-Homeless-in-College-

Report.pdf. Accessed 3 May 2019.

Hallett, Ronald E., and Adam Freas. "Community College Students’ Experiences with

Homelessness and Housing Insecurity." Community College Journal of Research and

Practice, vol 42, no. 10, 2017, pp. 724-739. doi:10.1080/10668926.2017.1356764.

Invisible People. “A Striking Number of College Students Are Hungry and Homeless.”

YouTube, 23 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZFLvSIhm3A.

Los Angeles Times. “He Is Getting His PhD - And Is Homeless.” Yahoo! Finance, 6 Jan.

2016, finance.yahoo.com/video/getting-phd-homeless-

085452248.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmN

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CnLQCeAz. Accessed 3 May 2019.

Simmons-Duffin, Selena, and Laurel Dalrymple. "Food, Housing Insecurity May Be Keeping

College Students from Graduating." National Public Radio, 3 Apr. 2018,

www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/04/03/599198739/food-housing-insecurity-may-

be-keeping-college-students-from-graduating. Accessed 3 May 2019.