Photo by Téalin Robinson
Editors’ Note
Financial issues weigh on everyone’s shoulders, from the college student scraping together a few dollars for dinner to the retiree struggling to find affordable assisted living. With Rebecca Blank, a poverty expert, as our chancellor, and entire departments on campus dedicated to researching poverty, we felt it was The Daily Cardinal’s responsibility to focus this Action Project on money-related topics affecting our campus and statewide communities.
Worries surrounding finances impact people on a deep mental level. Artists take to canvases and notebooks to craft works depicting housing insecurity, releasing their strife into art to bring in even the smallest incomes. Students suffer from anxieties when sneaking away to food sheds when they cannot afford groceries.
“We want to raise awareness of communities where every penny matters, the help being doled out to take some stress away.”
Financial struggles hit close to home for most people in our office — we shuffle through scholarship and loan applications, balance budgets while looking for post-grad careers. But there are others farther away, crammed into doorways along State Street and selling community-made newspapers to make a few bucks. Questions of affordable housing crop up when grabbing a Street Pulse issue, something we hope to address with the words and images in this issue. We are in the midst of a mayoral race in Madison in which homelessness is a common topic debate. The Cardinal wants to highlight stances on the issue, and shed light on the ways money impacts us all.
The “typical” college experience alone demands stretching wallets to their breaking points; we want to point out that income is another factor campus must consider when thinking of equal demographics. We want students to know courses and services to help them live financially well, and get assistance when they need. We are here to inform you of the issues that arise in reflection of our nation and state’s current economic status, and the roots of situations like housing insecurity and financial aid.
We want to raise awareness of communities where every penny matters, the help being doled out to take some stress away. Read ahead to understand the large impact the smallest dollars have in the Madison community.
Cost of Living 