Tiffany Henschel

California State University, Dominguez Hills is one of the most ethnically diverse colleges in the United States. Ten percent have experienced homelessness, while almost a quarter reported worrying about hunger. This research project aims to better understand the issues of homelessness and food insecurity for CSUDH students.

There is a plaque that takes up an entire wall in the student union. It reads: “The union is the community center of the college, serving students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests. By whatever form or name, a college union is an organization offering a variety of programs, activities, services, and facilities that, when taken together, represent a well-considered plan for the community life of the college.” 

I have an interest in the corporate food chain, and food and nutrition in general, so in this case I was especially drawn to how fast food corporations monopolize on college campuses, and how students appeared to lack a variety of options, aside from fast food. In addition, the student body is unique in a few ways:

• majority is pell grant eligible

• commuter campus

• spread thin, super busy

• lack of resources for food and markets surrounding the campus

• no meal cards or cafeteria

Iteration 1: Time and Day

I began to see the limitations students were dealing with, and from there I created some quick tools to help me find out more about how students utilize their time, how they decide what to eat, and what factors in to those decisions. 

The general consensus was that people in the student union wanted something that was good, fast, and cheap, but couldn’t necessarily always get all three. This led me to my first iteration.

Iteration 2: Pick any Two

This is a spinning wheel that parallels the idea of the “iron triangle,” or “pick any two.” I asked students, if you had to pick only two out of good/fast/cheap, how would your options change? I got various answers and it helped me come up with new questions. The tool itself was fun, and people were attracted to it, just by its colors, so that allowed for some meaningful conversations. This served as a jumping-off point for me to create something a little more in-depth.

Iteration 3: Thought Sliders

Then, I chose the most important factors that I’d heard from students, and put them on post-it notes. I went back into the field and asked, out of this list, what are the three most important things you consider when purchasing food? I then asked them to place those three post-its on these sliders, and rate their importance in relation to one another. This allowed for a richer conversation about how we manage and our choices and prioritize our decisions.