ACC Opens Student Resource Center
ACC Opens Student Resource Center
“Those challenges can range from food insecurity, housing insecurity or it might be something as simple as needing a notebook and pen,” said Roxie Patton, who is the social services specialist at Alvin Community College. “There are many non-academic barriers that students face that are keeping them from being successful.”
This Fall, ACC opened the Student Resource Center on campus which is a one-stop location to offer students support to help keep them on the path to finish their education.
“The Student Resource Center was created to have a space where students can come in and shop, so to say, at no cost,” Patton said. “They can come in and get what they need. We have clothing, school supplies, toiletries and food.”
A recent financial wellness survey was conducted and showed that 46 percent of students are housing insecure and 41 percent reported being food insecure. The college had several resources on campus to assist students in need but with the Student Resource Center everything is moved to one location, said Lilly Guu, ACC counselor.
“They just need help and that’s going to affect their academic performance,” Guu said. “We’re doing what we can to help students succeed in college.”
The center has been supported by the ACC Foundation with grants from the Innovative Initiative program. The Foundation awarded a $3,000 grant to start the Emergency Go Bag program by providing food and supplies for students in need of emergency assistance. A $2,000 grant to help provide financial assistance for a rideshare service to campus or the purchase of a bike for students with transit needs.
Item donations and financial contributions to the Resource Center are welcome. To learn more, e-mail counseling@alvincollege.edu. To make a financial donation, visit https://bit.ly/ACCFoundation or call the Foundation at 281-756-3600.
Patton and Guu were recently interviewed for the ACC Podcast. To learn more about the center, check out the episode on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
For more information, visit www.alvincollege.edu and click on ‘Counseling, Community & Mental Health Resources.’
ACC Social Services specialist Roxie Patton, left and counselor Lilly Guu work at the recently-opened Student Resource Center.
