Ivy Tech hosts poverty focused reading event

Students and other community members were able to experience firsthand some perils of poverty and participate in activities to aid those who are currently going hungry.

All day Wednesday, Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington hosted a reading event for students that focused on poverty in Bloomington and featured a book by Barbara Ehrenreich entitled “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.”
Guest speakers read excerpts from the book and answered questions about the importance of education.

Marcus Debro, assistant principal of Bloomington High School North, told students he wouldn’t be where he is today if he didn’t want to achieve more.

“Education is the key to success,” Debro said. “All you need is a vision, some goals and someone to help you get there, and you have a room full of people that can do that,” he said.

The event had many booths available for students that provided resources around the community to help them save money, and opportunities to help those in need.
Ivy Tech students and faculty are also competing in a rice end hunger project. The Web site www.freerice.com tests vocabulary and education tasks.

“For every word you get right you get 20 grains of rice donated to the United Nations,” said Brian Swazuk, Ivy Tech sophomore and coordinator for the computer lab set up for students during the event.

“It’s an addicting, fun little game, and you’re helping to end hunger so it couldn’t get any better,” he said.

Ivy Tech also provided lunch, which consisted of Doritos, cheese-and-cracker packs and warm pop to symbolize the type of lunch Ehrenreich ate in the book.
“You’re getting a 15-minute break and the same type of food they had time for,” said Keith Klein, moderator of the event.

The lunch menu was not the only thing to put the book into perspective for students. Doris Sims, assistant director of Housing and Neighborhood Development, spoke to students and compared living prices in Bloomington to those in the book.

“It can get very expensive,” Sims said. “Poverty does exist in our community. You can see it in the increase in amount of people going to food kitchens and shelters.”
Ivy Tech also provided students with free CDs and packets with money-saving tips.
Ivy Tech freshman Eric Gust said he appreciates Ivy Tech hosting an event like this for students.

“I’m worried about the economy,” he said. “I feel in poverty myself, so it’s nice to have things like this where I can get all the information as I can.”