Last fall, students at two of the nation’s premier historically black colleges, Spelman and Morehouse, went on a hunger strike. They weren’t protesting policymakers in Washington. They were pressuring their schools to allow students to donate unused meal plan vouchers to those on campus who needed them.

These students recognized a real problem, one that plagues all sorts of colleges and universities, especially the community colleges and state schools that most Americans attend.

An estimated half of all college students struggle with food insecurity, even at elite flagship universities like the University of California, Berkeley, and selective private schools like Northwestern University. Former foster youth, L.G.B.T. students and students of color are at substantially increased risk. Food insecurity is strongly linked to lower graduation rates.

To read the full article by Sara Goldrick-Rab, visit The New York  Times.