Crises like severe illnesses or car accidents that may place students in financial burdens will no longer stand in the way of students’ successes at Cal State Long Beach (CSULB), with the announcement of the CSULB Student Emergency Intervention Program.
The program, which was announced Thursday in a statement from CSULB, will provide meals, short-term temporary housing and emergency funds for unexpected expenses that could delay a student’s academic success. It is being funded by money raised through CSULB’s $225 million Declare Campaign, which is the first comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university’s history and one of the largest in the CSU system.
“The Declare Campaign is fostering a new culture of giving at The Beach,” said CSULB President Jane Close Conoley in a statement. “We’ve had an incredible response to the campaign from the greater Long Beach community and now our students are recognizing the value of giving back. What could be better than students helping each other? They experience firsthand how the act of giving not only serves the university, but is inherently fulfilling. This new culture of giving is transforming CSULB and through it, Long Beach.”
CSULB is creating this philanthropic culture by encouraging students to support their fellow students and university now and as alumni.
“Feed a Need,” the meal component of the program, asks students on meal plans to donate one meal for students in need of food at the university.
According to CSULB, students responded overwhelmingly, with about half of the students living on campus collectively donating more than 1,300 meals. The Forty-Niner shops also donated an additional 300 meals to the cause.
“Despite our best efforts, students have to navigate an infinite number of unforeseen roadblocks that can delay progress to their degrees,” said Jeff Klaus, dean of students and associate vice president for student relations, in a statement. “We have asked students at The Beach to lend a hand and they responded in an incredibly positive way to help mitigate food insecurity and even the unexpected emergency expenses of their fellow students. This program will likely be the most comprehensive in the nation and will have a positive effect on students’ health and wellness leading to increases in graduation and retention rates.”
Eligible students will need to go through an application process to qualify for the program, the university said.