Poverty Forum Wrap-Up

Indiana State University COMM 422 students hosted a poverty forum at Dede III on April 21st. The forum was a culmination of a semester long investigation by students in the class to discover how much of a problem poverty is at ISU, what resources are available, and what can be done in the future.

We investigated every aspect of poverty and invited university administrators and faculty to attend and shared our results and discussed the issue with those in attendance.

One of the most difficult things to recognize is poverty. ISU ombudsman Al Perone explained that if a person is homeless you can usually tell because they generally don’t have the facilities to maintain good hygiene and they have a limited number of clothes they can wear. As for other’s it is not so obvious.

“It’s really hard to see,” Perone said, “I don’t know who is living in their car unless they tell me.”

Perone said there will be students come in who are, or are about to have, their electricity or utilities shut off, or they are out of food looking for help.

“The problem is,” Perone said, “students run out of money before they run out of month and can’t afford to pay their bills or eat.”

Generally, December is the worse moth according to Perone. Student’s financial aid is running low and it will be ten days before the start of next semester before students have any real income.

Our class asked students what they thought poverty was and made a video compilation of how students defined poverty. As one watches the video, it is obvious everyone sees poverty differently, and they have different ways of defining it.

Student financial aid director, Crystal Baker mentions that there is not an extreme amount of poverty at ISU, but that is not uncommon here or on college campuses in general.

“We certainly have pockets of people who are very desperate,” Baker said, “and who rely heavily on financial aid.”

When determining financial aid for students, ISU follows the federal guidelines for poverty that was established in 1970. It is the federal definition that Baker says the university follows.

Poverty is very difficult to see, and the stigmatism that comes with it keeps many from reaching out for help.

There is a food pantry on campus at the United Ministries building on campus. At first, not many came in. Part of the problem is students were simply afraid to ask, and much of their decision is based on the stigmatism associated with having to ask for help.

There are resources for struggling students. Many of the resources are not advertised because of the potential for abuse. The best way to access much of the campus resources, or get guidance to outside resources is Al Perone. He has been at ISU for a very long time and knows where to find help for students off campus.

Some of the resources offered on campus are not financed by the university. The career center offers professional clothing free of cost to students so they can have a better chance at landing a job or internship. Perone mentioned that they do have a limited supply of toiletries for students who need them.

One possible solution discussed at the forum was the need for a student resource center, where a student who is struggling can go to find help all in one place.

Perone mentioned that it is difficult to tell when a student is struggling, so the student needs to put aside their fear. Many times the help will not knock on the door. The university makes every effort to insure a student’s privacy, and giving help in a dignified manner, but the student must take the first step.