The Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee met Monday with Brooke Evans, a fifth-year UW-Madison student, to discuss food stamp usage in campus dining halls, as well as affordable housing options.
Evans, a Milwaukee native, became homeless upon arrival at UW-Madison. In 2014, she said she “felt [she] had no choice to be anonymous anymore.”
“People don’t think being homeless is becoming of a Badger,” Evans said.
Evans described The Open Seat, the ASM-funded food pantry, as a great resource but one that lacks in the area of perishable food items.
With the current campus campaign, “All Ways Forward,” Evans encouraged the campus to move forward with perishable food donations to The Open Seat.
Evans also asked the committee to create legislation making the campus a food stamp-friendly campus.
“Equipment needed [to allow food stamps] is provided by the state, UW-Madison can still make a profit, and it is an opportunity [for food stamp users] to eat in proximity to others,” Evans said.
She explained that food stamps currently work like a debit card, and recipients are only allowed to purchase unprepared items.
Evans also described the lack of emergency and affordable housing on campus.
In 2014, Evans said she met with Jeff Novak, director of University Housing, and asked for emergency housing in the Eagle Heights Community.
She said Novak told her if the community would donate $12,000, he would transform two Eagle Heights suites into emergency housing. That project has not yet been completed.
Evans also asked for a partition of housing to be set aside for Pell Grant recipients at a reduced rate.
“We all deserve to be here, I don’t feel like a person’s zip code, income level or color of their skin should matter if they become a Badger or not,” Evans said.
