AAU administration prohibited proposed on-campus food pantry aimed at providing dry goods to underfunded students, citing legal concerns and instead offering scholarships as an alternative.
Student Kiley Mac initiated the project after noticing students struggling to balance studies and work with the rising cost of living, gaining support from the student council.
“I knew that there were students that maybe weren’t being vocal about their struggles. Being hungry when you’re trying to study, I can’t imagine,” Mac said.
After Mac promoted the food pantry at the AAU club fair, the Director of Admissions and Student Support announced the project could not continue due to legal complications.
“Basically, any food donations that would have been received would have had to [be] reported to the ministry and then counted,” said student council member Mila Garrett.
The administration offered to increase the number of scholarships for students in need as an alternative, triggering discourse over the practicality of this solution.
“[Student council] didn’t want the idea to just be pushed into that and say, ‘everything is solved,’ because scholarships, a lot of the time, go to only [a certain] amount of people,” Garrett said.
Mac hopes to revive the food pantry in a practical form, although she is prohibited from hosting or promoting it on the AAU campus.
“I might not be able to help you with the situation, but I could find a way to help you. [AAU is] such a small community that I know that we can help each other out,” Mac said.
