Exploring ability of engineering students in the Pacific Southwest to meet basic needs during the COVID-19 pandemic

One result of campus closures during the COVID-19 pandemic was that those who relied on campus-based housing, meals, and technology lost access to these services. Some students were able to return home and rely on resources from family and friends. At the same time, broader economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have led to food and housing insecurities for vulnerable and economically disadvantaged students. These same economic factors and existing inequities in internet access may have also prevented some students from accessing web-based coursework and instructional material. This work attempts to document rates of housing, food, and instructional access insecurities at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We include self-reported data from students at five non-profit four-year engineering programs across the south-western United States and conduct a statistical analysis of how housing security, food security, and instructional access varied across demographic groups.