The UT Outpost announced on Jan. 6 a new set of policies for spring 2025 to meet an increased need from students.
Previously, the Outpost allowed students to take 25 pounds of food each month for free, but reduced the weight to 20 pounds this semester. According to the UT Outpost’s Instagram, they are also now separating the weight of personal items from the total weight of food items. Items such as toothpaste, deodorant and shampoo will now be limited to one of each item per month, but students can take menstrual and parenting products as needed.
The Outpost’s food pantry saw an influx of about 460 students a week last year — a rise in visitors from the 300 students a week it received in 2023 — according to an email sent to students on Jan. 6. Students will be able to visit the Outpost once a week so staff can manage the increase in total visitors expected this semester, said Valeria Martin, the assistant director for Basic Needs and Terry Scholars.
“When students maybe are spreading it out throughout the month a little bit more, that allows for more students to come in each given week and to still have food available for them,” Martin said.
The Outpost also plans to extend its scheduled hours to give students more time to visit throughout the day, Martin said.
Biochemistry freshman Briana Barton said she visits the UT Outpost only when necessary and changing student use could be restrictive for students with limited resources.
“At the end of the week, the service is for us,” Barton said. “Whatever is most beneficial while still serving their business needs and meeting all their quotas — that’s the happy medium that should be tried to find.”
However, Luke Weber, a geography and sustainability studies junior who visited the Outpost frequently during his earlier years at UT, said the food limit for students seems like a positive way for the Outpost to navigate the surge of people using it.
“It’s just a way to make it a little more equitable for everybody, especially right now,” Weber said. “I’m sure they’re undergoing a lot of growth and sort of growing pains, so with that, I think everyone there knows that a lot of people rely on it.”
