MISSOULA — Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) — works to enrich experiences on campus for all UM students — has a variety of services including the Bear Necessities office which works with students directly to meet basic needs.
"We know roughly a third of students nationally experience some form of basic needs insecurity. That may include not being able to pay the internet this month, or never being able to pay the internet, or really struggling to be able to afford housing or food," Bear Necessities director Kat Cowley told MTN News. “We know that college can only be a tool to escape poverty if it doesn’t push you further into poverty."
Cowley explained that there are three prongs that make up Bear Necessities.
"The first is direct student support that is through food distribution through the UM Food Pantry as well as one-on-one case management or creative problem solving for students. We also do SNAP application support and help students find all the other resources they may need on our campus. We do education: that's both educating students on their rights and resources while they're in Missoula as well as educating the general public and campus community that students do indeed experience basic needs security and what forms that may take. And the third arm of work is advocacy. So, that's the policy advocacy speaking truth to power and centering student voices in trying to create systemic change."
There is also the ASUM Hardship Fund which can give students who experience an unplanned emergency $350 twice a year to help keep them afloat. Each student’s year begins when their initial allocation is awarded.
"It is the reworking of what was previously the ASUM short-term loan. We realized that very few students were actually using the loan but a lot of students needed financial support. That indicated to us that students weren't comfortable taking out another loan or just weren't able to," Cowley shared. "So, we reworked the loan into a grant program where when students come to us with financial emergencies we're able to pay a bill or expense on their behalf. That way we're not disrupting their future financial aid packages for school but helping them stay in school."
Schedule an appointment with Kat or Kenzie in the office directly via Bear Necessities or call the ASUM office to see if you qualify for the Hardship Fund assistance.
