2018 Common Reading Program

$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer is NC State’s 2018 Common Reading Program selection. The book confronts the social and structural barriers to economic stability that many Americans continue to face, giving insight into the real-life implications of living in poverty in the United States.

These issues — including food and housing insecurity — impact many here at NC State, and as a campus community we want to address these issues head-on. In April, the Food and Housing Security at NC State Initiative held a visioning workshop on food and housing security for the university. Details were shared of the recently released report “Food and Housing Security Among NC State Students.” The results of this survey and report express the significant scale of the food and housing challenges at NC State and suggest next steps in addressing them.

Anticipated next steps include expanding and diversifying food offered at the Feed the Pack Food Pantry, raising awareness around SNAP eligibility, continuing momentum on new initiatives such as making University housing available during school breaks, and encouraging food and housing security efforts by groups across campus. Visit https://dasa.ncsu.edu/pack-essentials/ for additional information, including food, housing, financial, educational and other helpful resources.

Incoming students will receive their copy of $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America at New Student Orientation. Faculty, staff and students are invited to learn more about the text and how it relates to students’ first-year experience at NC State’s convocation on Monday, August 20 in Reynolds Coliseum.

To promote the goals of the Common Reading Program, the university has established a Common Reading Mini-Grant Program. This program provides funding to members of the campus community to develop and implement programs that engage first-year students with the Common Reading selection. Information on submitting a proposal will be available mid-summer.

Follow the Twitter conversation on $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America at NC State by using the hashtag #OnePackOneBook. Resources for faculty and staff, including information on food and housing insecurity at NC State, a Q&A from the authors and more are also available.