Welcome to the Basic Needs Center
At the Basic Needs Center, we’re here to offer basic needs strategy support and to build community with our classmates who are navigating tough economic situations - we know it's tricky! Using campus resources is a regular part of life as a student. Our programs focus on key areas:
- housing
- food
- living on a budget with limited resources
Our resources
The BNC team offers the following resources to support students:
- Basic needs strategy conversations with a peer navigator
- When you face a challenge or need to figure out next steps, you can have a thought partner here. Together, you can think things through, identify goals, explore strategies, and build a plan.
- Workshops to build useful skills like cooking
- Build your skills by practicing making new foods, learning how to find an apartment and roommates, trying techniques for de-stressing during midterms, and more!
- Leadership activities and discussions with other students and faculty
- Engage in activities that build confidence, communication skills, and collaborative action.
- Social events and team-based volunteering
- Events pull people together to build connections and friendship through art, games, working on pantry preparations, or gardening.
- The OSU Food Pantry* and Beaver Healthy Boosts
- Free food is offered at scheduled times weekly to be part of your plan to meet needs. While direct aid isn’t the main focus of our work, this is another way we’re here to support you as you work through challenges.
- A spot to study or hang out with friends
- Whether you're working on assignments, taking a break, or looking for a place to relax, it's a space where you can feel comfortable. Friends can meet up to play a game, too.
*The OSU Food Pantry is an equal opportunity provider - you do not need to be a student to shop.
Snapshots of the Basic Needs Center
Using the website
Our site is organized by task. Look across the topics in the top menu bar to find what you would like to do. You can learn about programs and ways to use or share resources. The 'Let's Connect' page has a lot of information about ways to contact us and join in at the BNC.
When you are ready come visit the BNC, we look forward to seeing you.
Still curious? Learn more about what it's like
On any given day at the center, you’ll find a welcoming atmosphere full of energy—whether it’s conversations over coffee, laughter, music, the cozy glow of the fireplace during the winter months, or a spot on the patio to sit with wi-fi in the summer. It's designed to be a supportive space where you can feel at ease. When you arrive, expect to be welcomed and invited into conversation.
Take a virtual video tour of the center or find below a text version of the video tour.
Text Version of the Video Tour
The front door of Champinefu Lodge opens to the lobby with the elevator to the left, and past that, also on the left is the reception desk. Check-in for laundry, dropping off donations, or to ask for help with a basic needs question is at the desk.
Continuing forward from the lobby, the room is divided into two sides. There are floor-to-ceiling windows along the back wall of the rooms. The left side has the lounge with seating around the fireplace and in clusters around the room for studying or talking with peer navigators. There are also several individual laptop tables that students can move around the room. In one corner there is a computer station with free black and white printing available. The printer is located on another floor, 2M.
The right side of the room is the dining area with 4 square dining tables with 4 chairs each, and high tables with counter height chairs near the windows. At the far-right side of the room there are snacks available. Help yourself to anything from the coffee bar! ‘Food for Thought’ microwavable meals are sometimes available in the fridge on the same wall. The kitchen is off of the dining room to the right. The kitchen is used for cooking classes.
On Wednesdays when the OSU Food Pantry is open, check-in is at the front desk and the door to the pantry is also in the lobby. The pantry is a large backwards L-shaped room with doors near both ends. Shelves, freezers, and coolers line the walls. There are large rolling grocery baskets to fill as you shop. Peer Navigators can assist and answer questions. Gluten free pasta and bread and halal meats are sometimes available. The exit to the pantry is at the other end from the entrance. Shoppers leave the pantry and exit through the kitchen to the dining room, picking up a bag of fruit and veggies while passing through.
The lower level of the BNC is floor 1. When exiting the elevator you arrive in a hallway that goes to the left. The first door is the shower room, with shower supplies and towels for students to use– no appointment is necessary. Continuing down the hallway is a second door to a lactation room. Directly ahead is the desk for the textbook lending library. Students can check out books for an entire term. The laundry room is also on this level– there are 5 sets of commercial washers and dryers for student use by appointment. Appointments are made on the BNC website.
Additional notes about navigating the building: The Basic Needs Center in Champinefu Lodge uses 3 floors. The basic structure of the building is as follows. The front door opens into the lobby on the ground floor of the BNC. The ground floor is floor 2 in the building.
The elevator is located just inside the front door to the left. The reception desk is straight ahead and to the left from the front door in the lobby. The ground floor contains the lobby, lounge, dining area, kitchen, and food pantry.
The lower level is floor 1 and contains the laundry room, shower, lactation room, and textbook lending library.
Floor 2M, is a mezzanine floor offset from the main floor and is accessible from the lobby by stairs or elevator. This is where the restrooms are located. The free printer is located on 2M as well.