“We want to expand the reach of SGA, making sure many voices are heard,” Waddle said.

She says this includes undergraduate students, professional school students, as well as graduate students, pointing out that creating a space for students of all career paths is crucial to the integrity of any college campus.

“We represent students who live on campus, may be commuters or may take classes online. Our goal is to really make SGA more accessible this year.”

The leadership of the organization, known as the “Top 4” also includes Anna Hernandez, executive vice president, Grant Avis, services vice president and Kathleen Price, academic vice president. They each began their roles in fall 2025.

Waddle says the Student Government Association has launched a new executive staff outreach team led by Hernandez, which aims to increase student knowledge about SGA.

“We are trying to open things up to the student body and show students how SGA works and how they can get involved,” she said.

Since 1952, UofL’s Student Government Association has been working to make the university a better place, where student voices are heard and the campus is able to thrive.

Learn more about the .

By Brie Carlini

Allie Rose Phillips, Griffin Gould, Macy Waddle and Dontre Quarles were elected to the executive board last spring. These students begin with several impressive accomplishments under their belt, showing they are each well acquainted with influential leadership.

• Leading the charge as SGA student body president is Allie Rose Philips, a junior from the Clay County, Ky., who is studying political science. Phillips is a McConnell Scholar, a Vogt Scholar and a University Honor Scholar. Earlier this year at the Kentucky Leadership Academy, Philips was elected by the other SGA presidents across Kentucky to serve as the chair of the Board of Student Body Presidents. This board exists to have a state-level impact on the legislative and executive branches regarding postsecondary education issues and concerns of students.
• A junior from Union, Ky., Griffin Gould is serving as SGA executive vice president. Studying mechanical engineering, he has held several other leadership positions, including work on the Speed School Student Council, Phi Kappa Tau and SGA Assistant Services.
• Macy Waddle, a sophomore from Mt. Washington, Ky., studying political science and Spanish, takes on the role of academic vice president. Already holding a diverse range of leadership roles, she serves as the co-director of Engage Lead Serve Board Animal Welfare Committee and the McConnell Scholar’s Program Outreach Chair.
• Dontre Quarles, a sophomore from Hopkinsville, Ky., studying computer science and criminal justice, is SGA’s services vice president. Like Gould, Quarles serves on the Speed School Student Council and in Phi Kappa Tau as the Sergeant at Arms.

Katie Hayden – Student Body President

Senior Katie Hayden is one of the familiar faces on this team. Last year, Hayden served as the executive vice president, running alongside former SGA president Dorian Brown. The McConnell Scholar will now operate as the president.

With experience under her belt, Hayden looks to combine her goals with her vice presidents’ goals.

“We are in a unique situation where two different slates seat the president and vice president of SGA,” she said. But being from different sides, Hayden believes, is a good opportunity to combine ideas and build together. “When you run in a SGA election you kind of realize that most candidates have similar ideas, just different ways of achieving them,” she said. 

Improving communication with the student body is a vision of Hayden’s. She plans to implement a sign up where students can receive text updates on current SGA news.

“How can we best get everybody in the know? How can we help students understand who SGA is? When you look at it, the big picture, your student government does make a lot of decisions that can drastically affect the student body,” she said.  

After graduating, Hayden plans to attend dental school at UofL with aspirations of becoming an orthodontist.

Angel Okorie – Executive Vice President

Senior Angel Okorie, is a newcomer to the leadership slate. Majoring in health and human performance, she is also part of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority on campus.

As the 2023–2024 term kicks off, Okorie’s main goal is to make diversity, equity and inclusion a priority for the Student Government Association. She aims to build close partnerships with the equity center and other departments on campus.

Okorie, who also is a Porter Scholar and an Honors Scholar, praises the people she has met while being at UofL.

“I’m pretty involved on campus and feel like I have found a good amount of people that I can fall back on,” she said.

As the school year kicks off, she is excited to advocate for other students and to make a difference while serving her time for SGA.

Alex Reynolds – Student Body Services Vice President

Senior Alex Reynolds is a political science major from Northern Kentucky. Reynolds is now in his second term in the vice president position.

One of Reynold’s main goals is continuing to improve on student services. Carrying from last year, are his plans to improve the Cardinal Cruiser transportation services.

“We’re making some real headway this summer,” he said. “I want to make it more like an Uber, Lyft-type service.” Reynolds has reached an agreement with the university to create an app for the service and he hopes it will be deployed by spring 2024.

Reynolds, who is an advocate for free speech, says it’s important for students to get involved with SGA. 

 “Not only does SGA provide these amazing opportunities for leadership and amazing connections, it also helps actually make a difference,” he said. “The university administration has done a really good job of including students within SGA and working with us to craft university policy and services.”

“Once I toured and met all the people, I knew this was the right fit,” he said. “They thought of me as more than just another number, they actually cared about the success and opportunities that I get here.”

Sawyer Depp – Student Body Academic Vice President

Senior Sawyer Depp is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and is also a part of the McConnell Scholar program. He is majoring in political science and history.

Depp, who is a northern Kentucky native, chose to come to UofL because it felt like home to him.

“I met with several people and from my conversations, I felt like this was an environment where I thought I could learn and grow into the best person I could be,” he said.

Depp believes getting students involved in SGA is important for the small things as well as the big changes.

“Being able to see change on a university level or even at an individual level — just seeing change at all — is really what I think the biggest draw to SGA is,” he said.

Upon graduation, he has aspirations to attend law school with plans to one day perhaps become a judge.

The SGA leadership started out the school year by identifying the focus areas of the yearly initiatives: community, academic support, registered student organizations, diversity, services, and safety, collectively known as C.A.R.D.S.S. To improve transparency and accountability, the Top 4 releases monthly updates on their and to inform students about what has been accomplished.

The leadership team recruited some of the most driven students on campus to be on their executive staff and bring their vision to life. SGA President Dorian Brown said he could have never rebuilt the campus community alone.

“From our Welcome Week Luncheon to our Athletics Week, we have put tireless hours into events that we believe will maximize student engagement. The accomplishment of these goals is not possible without the support of a talented and dedicated team,” Brown said.

In 2023, SGA plans to continue working toward a more collaborative, equitable, and vibrant campus, specifically brainstorming more projects that unite the Cardinal community.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish this semester for the student body,” said SGA Services Vice President Alex Reynolds. “Productive conversations with students and administrators, along with passionate advocacy have been the core of this year’s SGA. I hope we can get more ideas, questions, and involvement from many students next semester during this pivotal point for our campus!”

To learn more, visit the on the UofL SGA Website.

Article by Lizzy Wolfe, SGA director of communications

Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez said next year’s budget priorities are both mathematically and strategically balanced and correlate to action plans outlined in the university’s 2019-2022 strategic plan.

“We are investing in the things we value the most – our students, our faculty and staff and our university,” said Gonzalez. “We strove to develop a budget that reflects our values and what our community thinks is important to institutional success.”

The FY 2022-23 proposed budget accounts for a 0.0% tuition rate increase for undergraduate students and the development of a new Cardinal Commitment financial aid program that will supplement other forms of financial aid to help ensure full cost of attendance for resident Pell-eligible students. Commitments to increased student persistence funding and graduate student stipends are also among the financial priorities. The next fiscal year will also see the opening of two new residence halls, the Center for Engaged Learning and the Center for Military-connected Students.

Even with a $110 proposed student fee increase, UofL’s tuition, fees and housing are less than or consistent with such costs at other universities throughout Kentucky. Dan Durbin, executive vice president for finance and administration, noted that $100 of the student fee increase was necessary to help fund the university’s match for the state’s $80 million of asset preservation dollars and ongoing improvement of conditions and safety of classrooms, buildings and infrastructure. An additional $10 will support student programming and the Disability Resource Center. He added that the proposed fee increase was vetted through the Student Government Association.

Compensation and benefits are the investments earmarked for faculty and staff. If the budget is approved, a cost-of-living salary increase of 2.5% will take effect July 1, 2022. The minimum starting wage for regular full-time and part-time staff will also increase to $14.75 per hour with efforts underway to further increase that to $15 per hour by early 2023. The budget also continues the current employer retirement contributions (7.5% automatic, plus 2.5% match) and 100% tuition remission for employees and dependents. Further, employee health insurance premiums will be frozen for the first half of the fiscal year.

Investments in the university itself remain budgetary priorities. Improvements, such as the Digital Transformation Center, web improvement project, deferred maintenance and a new customer relationship management system for Advancement, are among budgetary priorities that will help continue the university’s external image and effectiveness. Fueled by the spirit of the new Here & Beyond brand campaign, investments in the university’s community resources, such as UofL Health and the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, will showcase UofL as a premier metropolitan university.

According to James Begany, vice provost for enrollment management and student success, even in the face of declining enrollment figures nationwide, UofL remains steady in its enrollment performance. Efforts to monitor and prepare for future trends in enrollment continue, and several growth and contingency planning strategies are built into the proposed budget.

Revisions to the proposed operating and capital budgets will be made based on feedback from the university trustees. The board will then formally consider the budget at its June 23 meeting with implementation of the 2022-23 operating and capital budgets to begin July 1.

Durbin emphasized that input from faculty, staff and students was essential to developing the proposed budget. As an example of that buy-in, Durbin noted how he and Interim Provost Gerry Bradley have been meeting with every university dean to assess the financial situation of each of their units. He said these meetings have been productive and feedback has been valuable.

“Engagement and accountability are keys to the positive financial performance of our university,” said Durbin. “This budget is not the work of just a few people. This is a product of our university community’s commitment to success.”

This year’s Top 4 SGA leaders, elected in March for the 2021-22 academic year, are going to have one extra (and exciting) challenge: Re-establishing the vibrant on-campus experience that colleges thrive on and COVID-19 tried to erase.

The Top 4 leaders — student body president, executive vice president and two vice presidents (one for academics and one for service) — lead the university’s student government network across eight schools and colleges.

Here’s what they had to say about the upcoming school year.

Ugonna Okorie, student body president 

Okorie, a senior majoring in public health and healthcare management, said she is confident UofL students will be able to “navigate through the uncertainty.” 

“I don’t think we’ll ever go back to exactly how things were in 2019 (and earlier), but instead, we’ll take the lessons learned in 2020 and apply those lessons in 2021 and years to come,” she said. “But what does that look like in practice? As a community, are we ready for this change? I think navigating through the uncertainty that lies ahead for us will be a challenge, but a challenge I know we will be able to overcome.”

Okorie said one of her goals is to help SGA work with the university’s diversity and equity units to help further UofL’s anti-racism efforts and ensure all students feel their voices are heard.

One thing she can’t wait for? The annual International Fashion Show. The student-led event was held in January 2021, but without a live audience. “I am always in awe of their theme and how they incorporate it in the celebration of cultures here at UofL.”  

Sydney Finley, executive vice president

Finley, a junior English and political science major, said she predicts the return to in-person learning and programming will be “a major adjustment for some students and staff.”

SGA’s job will be to make sure students feel “supported during this time,” she said.

For Finley personally, she said she isn’t sure what to expect because most of her college experience so far has been shaped by the pandemic.

“Being a commuter student who has only taken distance education courses for the past couple of semesters, I look forward to being on campus more often and being able to see my friends in person rather than through a screen,” she said. 

She is hoping to incorporate more social service activities in student government while also focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

In addition to the International Fashion Show, Finley said she is looking forward to attending talks by featured speakers on campus.

Alexa Meza, academic vice president

Meza is a senior political science major who said she will focus on preparing students to make a smooth transition back to campus and in-person classes.

“We can’t expect all students to be able to go back to normal after the past year and a half we’ve had,” she said. “I plan to advocate for student needs when it comes to course delivery, academic spaces on campus, and academic resources students can utilize in a post-pandemic environment.”

She added that “asking students to return to how life and college was before the pandemic is unrealistic,” and noted the Top 4 will advocate for understanding, compassion and flexibility from administration and faculty.

Meza said it is hard to remember how life on campus was before the pandemic.

“I was halfway through my sophomore year and a completely different person at the time. Now I’m thinking about graduation and grad school,” she said.

What is she looking forward to the most? 

“I think just being in the company of others,” she said, “whether they be your friends or complete strangers. … Being in the classroom, on-campus concerts and events, and sporting events are all things we took for granted, so for upperclassmen, I imagine it’ll feel like we’re freshmen all over again!”

Eli Cooper, services vice president

Cooper is a senior who is working on an individual major in social change and also a major in political science. 

He said some of his first initiatives for the new academic year will be “advocating for gender-inclusive dorms and space on campus, developing a policy prioritizing gender-neutral restrooms in new constructions, and laying the groundwork for more inclusive dining policies.”

He noted the transition from online learning to in-person engagement is going to create opportunities along with the challenges. The Top 4, he said, will have to prioritize its goals.

“I’m excited for the potential that this year brings, but I know that the pandemic and the things we have had to do to adapt to a virtual world are taxing in ways that we have yet to identify,” he said. “In addition, parsing out the adaptations that are useful post-pandemic versus those that negatively impact our university will be an interesting struggle as we move into the upcoming year.”

Cooper said virtual life has left him missing “the little moments of socialization that you are able to have when sitting in the library, grabbing food in the SAC, or walking between classes. I never really realized how much of a positive impact that waving to a friend or distracting yourself from a paper for a 5-minute conversation could have on your day. I’m excited for a lot of the things that next year could hold but I think I’m most excited for these little moments that can really make your day great.”

The updated residence halls will replace Threlkeld and Miller halls, both built in the 1960s. UofL expects to spend around $71 million on the project using tax-exempt bonds.

The new state-of-the-art dorms are part of a broader commitment to provide students with a safe, supportive and enriching environment in which to learn and live. One of the new halls will be adjoined by UofL’s new Cultural and Equity Center, which will be accessible to all students via the building’s exterior.

This continued transformation of campus is undoubtedly exciting, ushering a new era of student experience and campus revitalization. However, what’s particularly remarkable about this specific project is that the new residence halls were designed with a significant amount of input from students. In fact, students have been involved since the project began, before the contractors were even chosen.

That student involvement is facilitated by Grace Beebe, president of the Residence Hall Association, and Henny Ransdell, vice president of services for the Student Government Association. Both attend meetings at least twice a week with Campus Housing and the construction company (Messer) and both took over after their now-graduated predecessors – Natalie Middleton and Lydia Burns, respectively – started the process in the same roles.

“Lydia and Natalie did a lot of the early work, helping to pick out the construction company, for example. They got a vote to pick the architects and contractors and that was important because they were able to lay the foundation on what the student priorities were,” Ransdell said.

Among those priorities are gender-neutral bathrooms and at least a LEED Silver rating. That rating indicates the building was constructed and designed with sustainability features in mind; features like electric charging stations for cars and efficient heating and cooling systems.

And, most colleges are moving away from communal bathrooms, Beebe said, adding that this detail is an important piece of the overall student experience.

“When you talk about someone’s living experience, this will make it so much more pleasant,” she said. “It will monumentally change people’s experiences as freshmen and it will put the university on a path to be even more inclusive and fluid.”

While LEED certification and inclusive and private bathrooms may seem a bit high level, the students have been involved in decisions as granular as the furniture. In September, Campus Housing held a furniture fair to gain student feedback on some of these details, and Ransdell and Beebe were in charge of compiling that input to ensure students’ feedback was put into action.

“Having students’ voices involved in this process is so important and the feedback we have provided on behalf of our students have actually resulted in changes in plans for the building — things like better study spaces, spaces that are more visually appealing. We have told the contractors that students don’t really use this anymore, for example, or that they might benefit from having a whiteboard here or some signage there. They’re willing to take that younger, fresher perspective,” Beebe said.

Those discussions have drilled down as far as the desks and the carpet.

“I remember one day having a long conversation about carpet. And we were able to share how we use our desks so maybe they weren’t so clunky,” Ransdell said. “We’re getting so much say in these things and it varies every day. I truly feel that our opinions are valued.”

Aside from providing input at the furniture fair, students have been filtering their feedback up to Beebe and Ransdell through RHA or SGA meetings, service email accounts and general forms.

“We have tried to be very open and take in that feedback from any student who is willing to provide it and I think because of that, we’ve had a lot of impact on the design of these buildings,” Beebe said. “We would hear an idea, talk about it and then take the idea to (housing and the contractors) and they would make it work for students. Right off the bat, we knew we could make this project better.”

Both Beebe and Ransdell also believe the new dorms will make UofL better overall. For starters, the buildings will be more sustainable, inclusive and modern. But most importantly, they’ll be accessible.

“These are our entry point dorms and they will house a lot of freshmen who might not be able to scale up to the cost of our apartments,” Ransdell said. “We want to have a really great space that is also affordable for a lot of families. It’s going to provide a better experience for our students at a more accessible price point, so families won’t have to feel burdened.”  

New dorms will house a new Cultural and Equity Center

Another priority for the students is making sure that new Cultural and Equity Center is done right. The center will house the Cultural Center, the office of Diversity ����ֱ�� and Inclusive Excellence, LGBT Center, Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Social Justice and the Women’s Center – all under one roof for the first time in UofL history.

“This is an important piece of the university’s fabric and we need to make sure our students have a home that is individually theirs and not just something in the corner of a bigger space,” Ransdell said. “We are making sure it’s a dignified space they deserve.”

Features include a student lounge, conference rooms, a training room, resource library, student work area, student activity space, kitchen, barrier-free restrooms and a lactation room.

Two weeks into the semester, UofL has tested more than 14,200 students, faculty and staff and has seen only 215 positive cases, a positivity rate of less than 1.5%. In the past seven days, the rate has dropped below 1%. That compares to a community rate of about 9% and is well below that at many other colleges and universities. The university’s recent and cumulative testing rates are . In response to student concerns, the dashboard will be updated several times per week.

“We are pleased that our students, faculty and staff have taken the COVID situation so seriously,” said Phillip Bressoud, executive director of campus health. “The fears so many had expressed have not materialized. Now it is up to us to continue the good work to ensure our semester can continue without many of the issues other schools are facing.”

Bressoud cited several reasons for the early success, including strong participation in COVID-19 training modules mandated for students, faculty and staff before they return to campus. To date, about 78% of faculty and staff and more than 52% of students have completed the training despite many taking classes or working remotely.

Other factors in the early success include:

• Student, faculty and staff adherence to masking, physical distancing and hygienic practices
• Early identification and isolation of individuals carrying the virus
• The university’s contact tracing, which has helped identify and encourage testing among other individuals who may have been exposed
• Limiting of large gatherings on and off campus

“We are particularly impressed with our student cooperation,” said Dean of Students Michael Mardis. “Thanks to the leadership of our Student Government Association and our many student organizations, we have experienced very few problematic gatherings that we’ve seen at other universities. The willingness of students to care for themselves and for one another has been key to our early success.”

COVID precautions are still necessary to prevent outbreak

Despite these results, however, health officials have warned that the pandemic is far from over.

Steven Stack, Kentucky’s commissioner of public health, has raised concern about this week’s Kentucky Derby and Labor Day activities and their effect on COVID in the community. Stack said people should stay “Healthy at Home” as much as they can, practice social distancing when out in public, wear a mask when near others and wash hands often. 

“If we all do these things, we have a much better chance for safer, healthier fall and winter holidays with family and friends,” Stack said. “These changes to our routines make an immense difference and save lives.”

Bressoud added a concern about the first home football game, Sept. 19. He urges students, faculty and staff to continue to be diligent in protecting against COVID-19.

“We know from watching other universities that it only takes one or two incidents to set off a COVID outbreak,” Bressoud said. “While we are so appreciative of our students and our community taking precautions so far, we need them to keep up the good work.”

“This is a team effort,” Mardis said. “Just like our football team needs all the players working together, our campus community needs everyone to do their part to ensure we can continue to have a safe and productive fall semester.”

The SGA works in tandem with administrators, Staff Senate and Faculty Senate to achieve goals that aren’t too unusual for a college campus – keep college affordable, make sure foodservice options are plentiful, provide sufficient programming and resources, lobby for higher education in Frankfort and so forth.

However – unquestionably – we are in unique times. This could make things interesting for SGA’s newly named president, Sabrina Collins.  

Collins, a senior majoring in Political Science with a track in law and public policy and a minor in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, has been involved in SGA since her freshman year in 2017.

“As soon as I came to campus, I joined the Freshman Arts and Sciences Council, where I served as the president. SGA made it easy for me to get involved as a freshman, take on leadership roles, connect with older student mentors, and feel like I was making a difference on campus,” she said.

Collins worked her way up in the organization, last year serving as the academic vice president under Jasper Noble’s leadership. That experience, she says, helped her grow as a leader and find a clearer voice to advocate for students.

“When campaign season rolled around, I felt uniquely prepared to take on the role of president and continue giving back to the campus that has given me so much,” Collins said.

That said, her list of priorities has grown given recent circumstances. During her campaign, Collins focused on advocating for survivors of sexual assault, domestic abuse and stalking on campus.

“In light of the , it is more important than ever that we elevate the voices of our student survivors,” she said. “It is our responsibility as a community to ensure that they have the support, resources and options for recourse that they need.” 

Shortly after the SGA elections closed, COVID-19 shifted UofL’s operations offline and changed the entire landscape of higher education in general. Now, as the university prepares for the fall semester, Collins said it is her administration’s primary concern to ensure that our students are heard throughout the decision-making process.

“My team is grateful that the university has prioritized student voices in making decisions for fall,” Collins said. “I am confident that student voices will bring the solutions to the challenges facing higher education as a result of the pandemic.”

Collins is also mindful of how global protests in response to George Floyd’s death are affecting our local community and our students.

“In light of recent injustices that have taken place in our Louisville community, it is SGA’s responsibility to elevate the voices of people of color on our campus who have not been heard and we back them fully in their demands of the university,” she said.

Despite the current – and unprecedented – challenges that exist, Collins is optimistic, particularly because, as she states, “our UofL community is a resilient one.”

“In the past few years, UofL has gone through many challenges; however, we have met each one bravely as a community. As a campus, we continually strive to be a Community of Care, and I think that sets our university apart,” she said.

Indeed, Collins’ favorite thing about being a Cardinal is the sense of pride she has for her school.

“UofL feels like home and there is nowhere else I would rather spend my undergraduate years,” she said. “I come from a small town in Northern Kentucky. When I visited UofL for the first time, I was surprised by how welcoming a campus of this size could be. During my visit, it was evident that every student and staff member I spoke with cared deeply for Louisville’s campus. Now, as a student I see why.”

Collins, who is also a Grawemeyer Scholar and a member of Kappa Delta, will spend this year doing what she can to make sure UofL is a student-centered campus. She will do so by encouraging administrators to keep an open mind as students bring forward ideas for progress. That is what makes the position of SGA so unique and exciting.

And, for Collins, such a position will likely suit her well after she graduates. Her career goal is to work in education policy.  

The partnership will ensure that the pantry, , will have a wider array of healthful items to choose from.

Dare to Care will help stock the pantry with frozen proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables, along with some non-perishable items.

The partnership will round out the Cardinal Cupboard’s offerings of donated non-perishables and personal hygiene items, along with foods from the, which collects leftovers on campus such as bagels from Einstein Bagels and pastries from Starbucks.

“The real beauty of the partnership is access to the protein and veggies,” said Kathy Meyer, coordinator for Student Leadership and Service.

Meyer said Dare to Care also has provided food safety training to the volunteers. 

“We’re learning so much through them; it’s a wonderful partnership,” she said. “It’s made such a difference in what we’re able to do here.”

The partnership was forged when UofL President Neeli Bendapudi connected with Dare to Care leadership at a community function.

Dare to Care partners with nearly 300 local social service agencies, such as food pantries, shelters and emergency kitchens to distribute food in the region.

“Our community founded Dare to Care 50 years ago and our community’s continuing passion to ensure everyone has the food they need to be healthy still fuels our ongoing innovations and new partnerships. In this spirit, we are thrilled and honored to partner with the University of Louisville on this new endeavor that will improve the health and the future of so many who are struggling to have a bright future,” said Brian Riendeau, Dare to Care executive director.

The food pantry recently moved to SAC W314, a roomier and more centralized location. It now boasts a refrigerator that was donated by the Department of Theatre Arts. 

The pantry is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. About 50 student volunteers staff the space, which is open to anyone on campus to take whatever they need.

Also beginning this semester, Aramark is donating 200 meal swipes (vouchers) to students in need. Students may apply for them through the . A committee will allocate the vouchers based on financial need.

Food insecurity has emerged a pressing issue in college campuses across the nation.

Last year, the federal government published a  on college students and food insecurity, recommending colleges and state agencies do a better job providing information that would help eligible students obtain assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

UofL brought the topic to the forefront last year in awarding its Grawemeyer Award in ����ֱ�� to Temple University’s Sara Goldrick-Rab. Her eye-opening research into the modern struggle to pay for college, published in her 2016 book, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid and the Betrayal of the American Dream,” details students’ struggles with not only tuition and books, but also food insecurity, homelessness and lack of transportation. Her nonprofit research center, the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, studies these issues to improve the lives of what Goldrick-Rab calls “#RealCollege students.”

“I’m delighted to see University of Louisville students acting to support their classmates’ basic needs,” Goldrick-Rab said. “For far too long, insufficient food and poor housing marked college life, undermining a learning experience that should be immensely rewarding. Louisville is a welcome addition to this national movement.”