06-05-2025
NU student wrote state bill informing college students about SNAP eligibility
Millions of college students are eligible for SNAP benefits but a U.S. Government Accountability Office report says two-thirds aren't receiving the benefits, with a lack of awareness an issue.
One Niagara University student has been working to change that.
Jaime Lechner, a graduating political science and international studies major from Grand Island, drafted a bill to help college students statewide find out if they are eligible for the benefits.
'It's a very common sense thing to do,' Lechner said.
The bill would require the state to create an information resource regarding SNAP for college students and require the state and educational institutions to notify students if they are eligible. It does not have any impact on the state budget by using already existing information channels to conduct outreach.
Inspiration came after she went on a 2023 advocacy trip to Washington DC, urging Congress to pass the Opportunity to End College Hunger Act. That requires higher education institutions to provide notice to students receiving work-study assistance about their eligibility for SNAP benefits.
That bill was referred to the House Education and the Workforce subcommittee where nothing has happened to it since, but it would provide the basis for her bill later on.
During the following summer, Lechner wanted to do more and looked into the benefits. She spent about three hours one day calling the state and Niagara and Erie county phone numbers for SNAP benefits getting all the information she could.
Once she had all that, she presented it to the campus financial aid department which produced a booklet to distribute around campus. That information is also present on the school's financial aid website, detailing criteria of who is eligible and how to apply.
During that period, Lechner's father encouraged her to go further.
'I was talking to my dad about the work I'm doing and he goes, 'Why aren't all colleges doing this?' ' Lechner said. 'I didn't have an answer.'
Awareness of SNAP benefits could be a big benefit for college students.
'People think because college is a prestigious thing, people can afford food and stuff, and that's not necessarily always the case,' Lechner said, noting rising costs and disappearing federal scholarships.
The bill's first sponsor is Phara Souffrant Forrest, who represents the State Assembly's 57th District in Brooklyn. After it gets introduced, it would be referred to a committee and be active legislation through June of next year.
Along with Niagara University, organizations supporting Lechner's bill include the League of Women Voters of Buffalo-Niagara, Cattaraugus, Allegany, and Chautauqua counties, FeedMore WNY, Feeding New York State, and the Field & Fork Network.
'Jaime's work on this project epitomizes the goals of our department and the mission of the university,' said Jamie Pimlott, an associate professor of political science. 'To see a student ask a question — why don't more college-age students know about potential SNAP benefits? — then, independent of any class assignment, dedicate considerable time and effort not just to answer that question, but also to propose and implement a solution, is inspiring.'
As SNAP is a federal program run by the USDA, there have been proposals from the Trump administration to make cuts, something the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said would put millions of Americans at risk of not having enough to eat. Lechner said that given the strict eligibility requirements for college students to be on the program, like those getting 50% or more of meals through a college meal plan, any cuts would not have a major impact.
