POVERTY: WHAT IS IT REALLY LIKE?; UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT AND OTHERS IN ROLES TO FIND OUT

Southeast Missouri State University students and faculty Wednesday got a lesson in the frustrations of poverty from Missouri University Extension and the Reform Organization for Welfare.

Dr. Dale Nitzschke, university president, joined human-environmental-studies students and others at the University Center in a role-playing simulation to learn about problems that face poverty-stricken people in Missouri. The exercise was designed to sensitize participants to the feelings of confusion, defeat, frustration, exhaustion and despair poor people face every day.

"Hopefully this experience will help to dispel some of the myths people hold about poverty," said Mary Gosche, a human-development specialist with the University of Missouri Extension office at Jackson. "This is a very good way to learn how the people they are helping feel on a day-to-day basis."

Each participant received a packet with a name tag and information about their make-believe family. Some families were traditional in size and ages; others were nontraditional. Each family qualified for realistic amounts of financial assistance from government and other agencies. Stores and creditors were on hand to give or take money as necessary.

Judy Lueders, a foods and nutrition specialist with the Perryville Extension office, told participants their goals were to feed their families, keep their homes secure, pay their rent, utilities and other bills, and plan for the unexpected.

"Transportation is an important issue," she told participants. "Every time you go someplace you have to have a travel coupon. You have to remember that old cars have high upkeep costs and new cars have high monthly payments. You're going to have to plan."

Role-players spent four 15-minute weeks being poor. Frustration mounted with the passing of each week. Drug dealers, thieves and unsympathetic landlords were present to throw obstacles into each family's financial situation. Food pantries and legal-aid departments provided food, shelter and legal advice as needed.

The participants said that although they enjoyed the experiment and learned a lot, they were happy when it ended.

"It's really difficult," said Stephanie Drake, a child-development major. "There are long lines and you have to wait."

Lea Ann Sifford, a dietetics major, agreed. "I would be in trouble if I were really poor," she said. "As a nutritionist, I will be helping people with these kinds of problems. I think it will help us understand more what they're going through."

Denise Voss said she learned a lesson about trust. "You've got to be aggressive and assertive to get what you need," the child-development major said. "I've learned to be not so trusting."

To avoid immediate eviction, Voss had to convince an irate landlady that should would pay her rent as soon as her Aid to Dependent Children check arrived. "I understand the frustration now; it's an eye-opener," she said.

Nitzschke played a 72-year old married man. After applying for food stamps, pawning his stereo and camera and buying groceries, he said he hoped everyone learned something about helping others.

"It's great to be sensitized and at least have some feel for it," he said. "I think it's wonderful for students."

Lueders said most of the participants realized how lucky they are.

"A lot of people say they're poor, but most of us do have enough money to stretch through the month," she said. "For most of the families who live in a state of poverty, the money is just not there."