Everyone on campus has probably seen it at least once: someone literally turning their pockets inside-out to find money for food. Or maybe it was the scrounge for change to fill the metered parking spots. Possibly this person is the friend, sibling, person in a class group, or near graduate dropping out of school because they can no longer afford to stay.
Unfortunately, that is the case for many traditional aged college students throughout the nation—IPFW being no exception. Whether it is the loss of their job in this economy or the inability to go to school while also paying for gas, food, and rent, many students are feeling the sharp jabs of poverty.
The definition of poverty is not, like many people imagine, always to the extent of having to live in a cardboard box between buildings. While there are some very unfortunate people out there, poverty’s definition according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.”
Most everyone has experienced that feeling—not being able to eat between classes because they do not get paid until the next day or having to squeeze every penny for gas—but in most cases one day would not do very much harm. In turn, living in poverty for long periods of time is no picnic.
Ashley Myers, a former IPFW student, ended up dropping out her sophomore year because she could no longer afford tuition. Even though she received financial aid, it was a difficult feat.
“I couldn’t afford it [college] from day one,” Myers said, adding “it was just me putting everything on my credit card and paying it off whenever I could with whatever money I got from work.” Eventually, Myers said she was unable to pay for gas or school materials, so she began to perform very poorly in her classes and ended up having to call it quits.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), retention rates at IPFW for Fall 2007 is at 63 percent. That means that only 63 percent of first-time, full-time students who enrolled in Fall 2007 came back and continued their education in Fall 2008.
Additionally, NCES showed that students who began in Fall 2000 only had a 27 percent graduation rate for those pursuing a bachelor’s degree over the span of eight years. That percentage plunged down to a mere 4 percent who accomplished their bachelor’s degree over the traditional four year term.
In turn, because of the recession “jobs kind of went away,” said Julie Creek, Coordinator for the Center for Women and Returning Adults.
“A bunch of people who were doing just fine aren’t anymore,” said Creek.
This region of Indiana’s unemployment rate is 11.1 percent as of Dec. 2009, compared to the U.S. unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. With many people out of work, postsecondary education can take the back seat to being able to eat and have a roof to sleep under.
Times are no doubt very tough for many people these days. Jobs are being lost, expenses are through the roof, and education is being put off. But, just like the old sayings go about staying in school, a bachelor’s degree is nearly essential in this day and age.
