Teach a man to fish

HSRC aids students in poverty, stresses awareness
The Human Services Resource Center is expanding its services and operating from a new location this year to better assist [OSU] students struggling with poverty.

Students can access OSU's MealBux program and emergency food pantry, receive refunds on campus health insurance, find temporary housing and receive up to $1,000 in rental assistance through the HSRC. Graduate students may apply to receive up to $150 back in registration fees.

"When students walk into the food pantry they're called shoppers," Overholser said. "It's the way we do things that is important.

The center opened in September 2009 and during its first year of operation about 1,000 students accessed the food pantry, about 1,000 students received money for campus meals through MealBux, 30 graduate students received refunds on registration fees, about 30 students received refunds on campus health insurance and 10 students received temporary emergency housing at no personal cost.

I enjoy helping people. That's why I don't approve of things like the Human Services Resource Center.

Calling someone a "shopper" while they are receiving charity is disgusting. The person on the receiving end should know that they are being helped, appreciate that help and also realize that they aren't doing for themselves which is the eventual goal. Charity is a wonderful thing, don't cheapen it.

I also don't like the "zero cost" method of giving to people because they have no pride in ownership. Whether it's a sliding scale payment or sweat equity, having someone put a token amount of skin in the game is essential to showing that housing, insurance, education, etc aren't FREE.

Let's help people learn to become self sufficient and genuinely grateful for the help that they do receive, not enable them to live of others while calling it something else.