When she taught family sociology, Christine Himes asked her students what it meant to be middle class. One student responded by saying a middle-class family would drive a Lexus, but other students were quick to disagree. 

‘Middle class is a very fuzzy concept,’ said Himes, a sociology professor. ‘Almost everyone in the United States considers themselves middle class if you were to ask them.’

Questions as to how Syracuse University defines middle class were sparked by the Oct. 1 announcement of the $20 million Louise and Howard Phanstiel Scholar Program, which will be geared toward incoming middle-class students, said Don Saleh, vice president for enrollment management.

‘When you think about the middle class, if you wanted to pick a median income or middle income group in the nation, and then at Syracuse University — totally different numbers,’ Saleh said.  

Though the national median income for the middle class is around $56,000, the scholarship will include students whose family income is up to $175,000, said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, associate vice president for enrollment management and director of scholarships and student aid, in an Oct. 4 article in The Daily Orange. 

The nation’s real median household income in 2009 was $49,777, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But SU’s middle range is much more difficult to pin down, Saleh said.

‘One of the reasons you can’t find a median income for our students is because we have a whole group of students whose families never apply for financial aid,’ Saleh said. ‘So we don’t know whether that family income is $200,000 or $2 million.’

But Saleh estimated SU’s middle-class household income to be between $80,000 and $160,000. And there are two major reasons why SU’s numbers are higher than the nation’s, he said. 

‘When you think about the median income for people who are old enough to have children in college, it’s a group of people whose earnings are much higher than the median for the whole country, because you’re eliminating all these 18- and 19- and 20- and 21-year-olds whose incomes are relatively low,’ Saleh said. 

The second reason is because four out of five SU students have parents who went to college — a demographic consisting of people who have statistically higher income than non-college graduates, Saleh said. 

And though there is a disparity between the nation’s middle and the university’s middle, Himes said identifying as middle class is subjective based on one’s surroundings. 

‘There is this sense that students who are legitimately middle class might come here and feel that they’re actually not as middle class as they thought,’ Himes said. ‘It’s what your frame of reference is. If you grew up in a community where everybody has big houses and two or three cars, and you consider yourself middle class, then what’s the next step?’

Factors like owning a home and having a car are symbols of being middle class, Himes said. And the more people achieve those goals, the more people consider themselves middle class.  

‘I think the idea of middle class has become a broader concept than it used to be,’ Himes said. ‘It’s all a part of the American Dream.’

The broad definition of middle class has prompted mixed feelings for many middle-class SU students. Brianna Schmidt, a junior biochemistry major, said she considers herself middle class because she doesn’t seem to identify with any other group.

‘I guess because I’m not upper class, therefore, I’m middle class,’ Schmidt said. ‘I don’t have a car on campus or all the new things. Also, I have a job, so I have to work toward my own education.’

Luke Barefoot, a senior marketing and finance major, said his perception of the middle class changed when he moved from Pittsburgh to SU.

‘I’ve always felt middle class my whole life, and when I got here, I felt on the lower side,’ Barefoot said.

Instead of buying organic products like his roommates, Barefoot said he goes to Sam’s Club to get wholesale items. And though he did not consider it a big deal, Barefoot said he did have to get used to watching what he spends.

‘A lot of my roommates go out almost every night to eat, and I can’t always go out with them,’ Barefoot said. 

Tom Matura, a junior economics and political science major, said he identifies as one of SU’s upper middle-class students. He said he feels there’s a balance between his life at home and his life at school. 

Matura and his roommates live in University Village Apartments on South Campus. Matura said his family feels comfortable paying the rent, and he chose the complex because of the many amenities it offers, such as a gym and study lounge. 

But for the wide range of middle-class students who can’t afford to live in UV, Saleh said he hopes the Phanstiel gift will foster more donations. 

Saleh said he is virtually certain the financial aid office will be earmarking the money for endowment.

‘This is a very, very important gift to us. We will immediately be identifying students as Phanstiel Scholars … because we want students and the community to see what a gift like this means to the university,’ Saleh said. ‘I think it also acts as a signal to the community of the importance of gifts to financial aid.’

ecsciala@syr.edu

Published on October 12, 2010 at 12:00 pm