OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR

January 13, 2026

ALL ACADEMICS AT UC SAN DIEGO

Recent data shows that half of UC San Diego undergraduates experience food insecurity. As you know, food insecurity not only impacts the academic success of our students, but also their overall well-being and ability to simply thrive as individuals.

Last year, a campuswide communications campaign was launched to connect more students to food resources such as CalFresh. At the end of the campaign’s first year, there was an 18 percent increase in CalFresh student applications and a 32 percent increase in student enrollment in CalFresh. This translates to 1,590 additional students receiving CalFresh benefits, which is an additional $5.1 million in grocery money support for Tritons experiencing food insecurity.

Faculty played a critical role in this increase due to sharing CalFresh information in their course materials and being another information resource about food security support. Students who completed the CalFresh application listed faculty and/or course materials as one of the main sources of information about the program, prompting them to apply. In short, your inclusion of this information made a tangible impact. We appreciate all of your efforts and are inspired by the substantial outcomes this collaborative campuswide initiative has achieved.

As we have started the winter quarter, I am writing to ask you to continue or join in the efforts to include information for students on how they can access free food or funds to purchase groceries in your course materials.

Please consider including brief messaging about food security and CalFresh in your course syllabi, on classroom screens at the start and end of class, and in Canvas course materials. The Collective Impact Resource Downloads webpage has a PowerPoint slide that can be downloaded for classroom use, as well as the syllabi language. For your convenience, the sample syllabi text is also included below.

Sample syllabi language:

Food Support for Students:

If you are skipping and stretching meals, or having difficulties affording or accessing food, you may be eligible for CalFresh, California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, that can provide up to $298 a month in free money on a debit card to buy food. Students can apply at benefitscal.com/r/ucsandiegocalfresh. And don’t forget to recertify every six months to continue receiving benefits.

The Hub Basic Needs Center empowers all students by connecting them to resources for food, stable housing and financial literacy. Visit their site at basicneeds.ucsd.edu.

For the first time, we are now also offering a CalFresh Canvas Commons course which includes a CalFresh fact check quiz, application link and other helpful resources. It can be found on Canvas Commons by searching for “CalFresh - Info on Money for Groceries.” From there, you can import or download the resource by clicking the Import/Download button. View the step-by-step instructions for Commons resources in Canvas.

I know your syllabi and Canvas course space are precious commodities for communicating important course-specific material with your students. However, it is a space students pay close attention to, so we hope you might consider including the CalFresh information and encouraging your students to apply for the program if they believe they may be eligible.

The Hub Basic Needs Center provides food security resources, housing resources, and financial wellness services to undergraduate and graduate students. Food security resources include the Triton Food Pantry, CalFresh, Food Recovery Network, and Grocery Shuttle.

Thank you for your continued dedication to supporting our students’ success both in and beyond the classroom. Your support and contributions are greatly valued and are making a meaningful impact.

In partnership,

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor