Episode #4: Meeting the Basic Needs of Rural Students

The Rural College Student Experience

"Only 57 percent of community colleges have [public ]transit stops within walking distance to campus." - Abigail Seldin, CEO, Seldin-Haring Smith Foundation.
On Episode 4 of the Rural College Student Experience, we're discussing the basic needs of rural students and how colleges and universities often lack resources and amenities that address the needs of this population. Dr. Matt Newlin is joined by co-host Lily Nagengast, a graduate student and teaching assistant in the Department of English at Georgetown University. She is from Bloomfield, Nebraska, and graduated from Boston College in 2018 with a degree in English and gender studies. Lily is also the author of an excellent op-ed in the Hechinger Report called, “Why rural students like me are meant to be here in college.” We discuss the cultural and financial shocks of moving to large metropolitan areas from small towns and why finding a community on campus is so critical for rural students.
Lily and Matt are joined by guest Abigail Seldin. Abigail is the CEO of the Seldin-Haring Smith Foundation which focuses on access to public services and accountability for abuse of authority. At the foundation, Seldin directed the creation of the SHSF Public Transit Map and co-produced the New College Majority Photo Series with Getty Images, a new images project highlighting the demographics of today’s college students. Seldin is the co-author of SHSF's July report “Sex Trafficking in State-Authorized Massage Schools: A Case Study,” which was featured on the front page of USA Today and prompted an investigation by the House Oversight Committee. Lily and Matt talk to Abigail about the foundation's work and how it intersects with the needs of rural students at both community colleges and four-year institutions.
The Rural College Student Experience is presented in partnership with Believe in Students. Believe in Students is committed to advancing voices and policies that advocate for meeting college students' basic needs. RCSE is extremely grateful for their support and partnership. You can follow Believe in Students on Twitter: @BelieveStudents.
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