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It’s actually not as bad or expensive to fix as it looks. If there’s that much food rotting in the tank the nitrogen cycle has definitely already started. That said remove it asap- you can siphon it out with an airline hose if you have handy- if not that’s your first purchase. In small tanks like this I find siphoning with airline easier for cleanup than a gravel vac with an enlarged end. It’s also dirt cheap and you’ll need for the next thing I’m going to talk about anyway. Your filter doesn’t need to be anything crazy- a sponge filter driven by a small air pump is all you need. You can Amazon these for a couple of dollars to get started. The cheap ones are fine there’s no reason to get spendy on filtration for a betta.This little guy is perfect for you-https://a.co/d/08XxIGuX The pump is the biggest variable here- they’re all honestly a crapshoot- the big name brands are built in the same Chinese factories as the cheap ones- I like these- they’re quiet, cheap and I have 5 of them running around the house now. If you have budget for it a spare pump is always a good idea.https://a.co/d/06ioGZa6 The substrate is suboptimal but not a death sentence- I’d leave it in place until you get a filter in- since the ugly gravel is most of the surface area nitrifying bacteria have had to grow on. Once you’ve had a filter in for a few weeks you can pull the gravel and replace with another substrate if you want something more natural looking or just leave bare for easier cleaning- your fish won’t really care but the bright colors can stress them out so he’ll be happy to see those gone. I like black river stones for bettas- big smooth pieces that won’t damage fins and are still easy to clean around. You can get a giant bag of them for less than anything the pet store will sell from the garden center at any home improvement retail labyrinth. I’ve been using them for decades without a problem. You’ve already got some good advice on getting rid of that food and replacing with something that actually has nutritional value. Fluval bug bites and new life spectrum are my go to dry foods. Aquatic plants are great, but emerged growth removes nitrate a lot more efficiently and not even your roommate can kill a pothos. Just root 3 stems in water and they’ll eat more nitrate than a betta can produce with a healthy feeding schedule. As the roots grow they will form dense cover and perches for your fish to utilize, greatly improve water quality & reduce need for water changes. You shouldn’t need to buy a whole pothos- I’m sure you can find one over growing its pot in an office on campus- not a delicate process taking cuttings- leave one of the knobby nodes for roots to grow from. Even if you had to buy a pothos you can find them dirt cheap. If moneys real tight you can also avoid using a declhlorinator by letting water offgas chlorine and chloramine for 48 hours in an open container- you can speed this up by running an air stone. Only problem with this method is you need to have the foresight to get your water resting at least a day before you need it- but if you have space for a bucket under your desk it can totally work. If you have any questions feel free to ping me. But you can absolutely get this back on track for under 50 bucks without needing a dedicated aquarium shop. 👍👍