Release date: March 28, 2003
Contact: Deb Hammacher, Associate Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-727-0644 or dhammac@emory.edu

Lessons in Poverty Make Students Committed to Service

Although many college students know what it's like to be short on cash, few fully grasp what it means to be poor. But for a group of students at Emory University, a course on poverty changed that perspective, leading some to push themselves to learn and do more about the issue.

Developed by Michael Rich, director of Emory's Office of University-Community Partnerships (OUCP), the seminar "Poverty in America" explored the people, politics and policies involved in combating poverty in one of the richest countries in the world. From looking at graphic portrayals of poverty in both urban and rural settings, to examining policies such as welfare-to-work, students were pushed to move beyond easy assumptions and critically analyze the forces that can drive people into and out of poverty.

"I strived to give them a real feel for what it takes to get out of poverty," says Rich, an associate professor of political science and an expert on community building and collaborative approaches to poverty reduction, neighborhood revitalization and welfare reform. "My goal was to educate the students so they could pick up a newspaper, intelligently read about the issue and weigh all the sides, and not get sucked in to stereotypes and politics."

Since taking the course, three students have been compelled to take part in the Kenneth Cole Fellowship in Community Building and Social Change, an academically challenging, 12-month program designed to prepare Emory undergraduates to be the next generation of community builders. The fellowship (developed by Rich and OUCP following a lead gift from fashion industry executive and Emory alumnus Kenneth Cole) includes full-time summer field work that places students with community service agencies in Atlanta working on the front lines of poverty issues.

"Dr. Rich gave us a practical and theoretical look at poverty in America that went beyond myths and stereotypes, and got at the root of the economical and sociological forces that drive it," says Christopher Richardson, a senior majoring in history and political science who was a member of the first class of Kenneth Cole Fellows.

"The Kenneth Cole Fellowship built upon what I learned in the 'Poverty in America' course, and put it into action. The combination of the two made me even more committed to working on issues of community building and social change for the greater good," Richardson says. So committed, in fact, that Richardson will work with low-income cancer patients in Atlanta next year with former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes instead of using one of Emory's most coveted scholarships for an all-expenses-paid year abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

For junior Sarah Osmer, a sociology and religion major, taking part in the Kenneth Cole Fellowship was a natural progression after taking the poverty course, which she says is one of the best ones she's taken at Emory.

"Dr. Rich, with his clear teaching style, gave me a well-rounded perspective on poverty, including assignments that would challenge you to deal with the decisions you'd have to make if you were a policy maker implementing programs," she says. "The whole approach of the Cole fellowship takes these lessons to a deeper level for me."

Other lessons gave students an idea of the essential issues people in poverty face. One assignment involved establishing a budget based on an income of a full-time minimum wage job versus a budget living on public assistance. Trying to find a balance between shelter, food and transportation left many students struggling, Rich says.

"They were stunned at how challenging it was to put together a budget," Rich says. "It opened up their eyes to how difficult it is to rise up out of poverty, and that while people may be moving from welfare to work, they aren't always making gains in getting out of poverty. "

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