With a poverty rate more than two times the average for the state of Ohio, Athens is infamous for being one of the poorest regions in the state.
Yet if Ohio University students were counted differently, this statistic would be far from true.
The U.S. Census listed Athens County at a poverty rate of 31.5 percent as of 2012, which includes students living off campus without a substantial income.
These students are classified as being impoverished, and this puts Athens County at the top of the state for poverty rates.
However, the census neglected to report that such students might be receiving money for rent, food and other necessities from their parents and thus are not living a poverty-stricken lifestyle.
Subtracting the 56 percent, or slightly more than 12,000, of Ohio University students living off campus from the total Athens County population, the poverty rate has the potential to fall between 15 and 16 percent, only a percentage point above the statewide average of 14.8 percent as of 2011, according to numbers from the U.S. News and World Report and the U.S. Census Bureau.
The median yearly income for people of college age falls below the poverty threshold, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
This can have an effect on how much grant money both the county and city receive.
“It does (help to get grants) in some cases,” Mayor Paul Wiehl said. “The formula’s grant money has to be put into, by census block, an impoverished section of town. That is where the student bodies come in, because at that point if they’re renting on Mill Street, it becomes an impoverished area.”
Wiehl said it also makes an impact on the county. Athens is designated as a distressed county.
Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville, said he would like to start a dialogue with fellow politicians including Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, and Rep. Steve Stivers, R-OH-15.
“I think folks in Washington need to address this,” Gentile said. “I’ve seen reports where it’s just university communities whose numbers seem to be skewed. If that’s the case, maybe the census bureau needs to figure out ways to account for that.”
Students who live in dorms are not included in the poverty rate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“It probably makes a difference with where we could apply that money,” Wiehl said. “I suspect some of the nonprofits can utilize (the poverty rate). Most of the grants we go chasing for are infrastructure grants, and it doesn’t always apply.
We look at the age of the bridge rather than the number of poor people walking under the bridge or living under the bridge.”
Nick Claussen, community relations coordinator for Athens County Jobs and Family Services, said he has come to a couple of different conclusions about the skewed poverty rate.
“If you look at the townships, the poverty rate is still really high,” Claussen said.
“I would think that of the students that are off campus, some are getting money from their parents, some are not. Some don’t have money they are spending at restaurants, grocery stores, on products. Just because they’re students doesn’t mean they aren’t poor.”
Some students are living in substandard housing and are short on food, Claussen said.
There are also some students who are eligible for food stamps, Claussen added. In order to be eligible, they must be doing either work-study programs or working at least 20 hours a week.
“We have some OU students who get food assistance,” Claussen said. “We have some students who get cash assistance, but you have to have a child or be pregnant, and the requirements are strict for that, but we have some, definitely. I know some students go to food pantries, and some students receive child support as well.”
Claussen that there probably is a decent amount of students on campus who are eligible for food stamp assistance.
“I don’t have a number for that, and I wish I did,” he said. “It would be nice if the food-stamp program could recognize that being a college student takes so many hours of classes plus so many hours of studying as well, and be able to help them just for that.”
However, Claussen recognized the living situation of the vast majority of OU students living off campus.
“There are certainly a lot of students who get money from their parents and don’t need assistance, and I agree with (them incorrectly being counted in the poverty rate) completely.”
as299810@ohiou.edu
