University of Wisconsin students are almost always asked to spare some change when they walk down State Street. The growing panhandling problem spurred a recent forum discussion entitled, “Spare Change: To Give or Not to Give,” at the Memorial Union Wednesday for students and faculty alike to pool their thoughts on State Street’s regular crowd.

The Morgridge Center for Public Service, University Health Services and the Wisconsin Union Directorate combined their efforts in holding the forum

Panhandling in Madison is very complex and has many causes, Civic Engagement Coordinator Katherine Loving said. She also said the forum was called because people identified panhandling as an important issue in the community.

At the forum, students gathered to talk about their experiences with and feelings toward panhandlers and the possible solutions in dealing with these people on the street. One of the major topics was student and panhandler perception of one another. There were mixed views of panhandlers as beggars and average people in unfortunate situations to privileged, arrogant and exploitive.

“I think [panhandlers] want to be perceived as people first and then poor,” UW sophomore Andrea Tivers said.

UW Homeless Outreach Coordinator Joe Lindstrom added panhandlers are usually people who have been homeless for more than four months.

“They have basically given up hope in the system and find other ways in dealing with their situation,” Lindstrom said. He also said panhandling is important because it is the only way many people know that poverty exists in the local community.

Panhandling laws on the books attempt to add a sense of order to the act of asking pedestrians for money. For example, according to Madison city law, panhandlers must stay on the sidewalk in the area “between the imaginary line connecting the sparkle light poles and the face of the adjacent building,” and they must stay at least 50 feet from any ATM.

Tivers said the forum gave her a better idea for how to deal with being approached by panhandlers instead of just always giving money like she had done in the past.

“I’m definitely more aware of some of the resources available to help change the way [panhandling] works on State Street and help improve the situation, not just for the students but the people on the streets,” Tivers said.

Forum attendees seemed to agree on the need for students to become active in the community in helping to fight homelessness. Panhandling seems to be more of a problem for students and those who choose not to deal with the situation, said Loving, recommending students make contact with panhandlers to become more comfortable and ease their guilt.

“I think the most important thing is to get students to consider social issues in general,” Loving said. “But in this particular issue, I want them to think critically about panhandling in a deeper way.”

This forum is one of the “Hot Topics” in the Service in Action Series, an educational series of events, workshops and discussions designed to “promote responsible service, citizenship and advocacy.” More sessions will be held in Fall 2003.