At Stevens Institute of Technology (Stevens), nestled in the heart of Hoboken, New Jersey, students are tackling rigorous STEM curricula while navigating the unique challenges of college life. In the last few years, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation, the university recognized the growing needs of its diverse student body, particularly around issues like food insecurity. With Stevens’ Feed the Flock initiative, Stevens is using Symplicity Advocate’s powerful Flex module to transform how Stevens addresses this student challenge and support students holistically.
Feeding the Flock: A Creative Solution to Food Insecurity
Stevens recognized it was facing an urgency on its campus: food insecurity among students. To tackle this urgency, Stevens instituted a “donate your meal plan” system. And while Stevens’ students were generous with meal plan donations, the process of managing these donations was fragmented, relying on Google Forms and spreadsheets. This caused issues with accuracy, privacy concerns, and more. The stigma surrounding food insecurity often discourages students from seeking help, and the inefficiencies within the system only compounded these challenges, leaving many feeling isolated and unsupported in addressing their basic needs.
Recognizing the need for a better solution, the university turned to Advocate Flex. “Getting into Advocate was much better in terms of the safety of student data and the ability to click into students' profiles,” explained Olivia Cecchi, Assistant Director of Student Support. “It gives us a much better picture of their background without adding stigmatizing barriers.”
“Getting into Advocate is much better in terms of safety of student data, but also the ability to click into students’ profile from Advocate has been helpful already, just to have a better idea of a full picture of what their background is without having to ask them for that information, explained Olivia Cecchi Assistant Director of Student Support. “[That] sometimes is a barrier that we were seeing in best practices across other schools that asking students for too much information or asking for them to apply or do things like that was something that was discouraging to them, especially around asking for food, which is already hugely stigmatized.”
Through Advocate Flex, Stevens launched its Feed the Flock program, which streamlined meal swipe donations and requests. Students can now donate unused meal swipes securely, while those in need can now request them without navigating cumbersome forms. The results speak volumes: a system that is not only secure, but also effective at connecting resources with those who needed them most.
A Campus-Wide Collaboration
One of the program’s greatest strengths has been its collaborative nature. From the outset, Stevens’ Student Support team partnered with Residential and Dining Services and the Student Government Association (SGA) to make Feed the Flock a success.
Ashley Chillar, Associate Director for Student Affairs Operations, highlighted the importance of how Advocate enables teamwork across the campus. Whether reviewing a student’s history of meal swipe requests or their involvement with the Care Team, the platform provides a comprehensive view that helps staff respond with greater empathy and precision. “Having everything in one system allows us to see a complete picture of the student and better coordinate our support efforts,” said Chillar. “It’s the most comprehensive picture we have of a student outside of an academic-only setting. It helps us understand their needs holistically and provide better support so they can succeed academically.”
This collaboration has extended beyond day-to-day logistics. Advocate Flex provides Stevens with a platform that has brought departments together, creating a seamless process for managing donations, requests, and communications with students.
“Having everything in one system allows us to see a complete picture of the student and better coordinate our support efforts. It’s the most comprehensive picture we have of a student outside of an academic-only setting. It helps us understand their needs holistically and provide better support so they can succeed academically.”
Olivia Cecchi
Assistant Director of Student Support
Stevens Institute of Technology
Using Data to Drive Impact
Advocate Flex has empowered Stevens to use real-time data to improve the program. For example, early insights showed a surge of donations at the end of the semester, but a slower pace at the start of the academic year. Armed with this knowledge, the team has launched targeted campaigns to encourage donations, using social media and campus events to build awareness.
Looking ahead, Stevens plans to integrate Advocate Flex data with other campus systems through a Power BI dashboard, combining insights from academic and engagement platforms to better understand student needs. “This will allow us to analyze data altogether,” said Chillar, “Providing a broader view of student needs across academic, engagement, and wellness dimensions… This system is incredibly flexible,” said Cecchi. “It helps us effectively adapt to evolving needs and build processes that make sense for our students.”
Even long-standing processes are benefiting from Advocate Flex. Chillar explained, “We’ve been able to take a step back, reassess how things are done, and find ways to make them more efficient, giving us more time to actually support our students.”
Support That Makes a Difference
Over the years, the university has worked with several client managers, each bringing expertise and guidance to maximize the system’s potential. “I probably bother our client manager once a week,” Chillar admitted with a laugh. “But they’ve been incredible—creating step-by-step guides, answering questions, and helping us reimagine what’s possible with Advocate Flex.”
The Value of Advocate Flex
For Stevens Institute of Technology, Advocate Flex has become an indispensable tool for addressing student needs and fostering collaboration across campus. From tackling food insecurity to building innovative workflows for student support, the system has allowed the university to better serve its students and adapt to their evolving needs.
“It’s been a game-changer for us. Having everything in one place and being able to customize it to our needs has made a huge difference—not just for our team, but for the students we serve.”
Olivia Cecchi
Assistant Director of Student Support
Stevens Institute of Technology
Advocate Flex enables Institutions can build custom workflows to manage cases for conduct, wellbeing, complaints, sexual misconduct, and more with easy reporting on key metrics and critical programs. To learn more email us at info@symplicity.com or check out what Advocate Flex has to offer, here.
