Sitting at right, Samantha Weir, an instructor in the Human Development and Family Science program at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., explains the parameters to participants in a recent poverty simulation held on campus. Also pictured are, from left, Alexis Trice, Davidson County UT/TSU Extension agent; Rebecca Oldham, assistant professor of Human Sciences; and Claire Cook, Human Sciences professor. The exercise was aimed at helping students build empathy and understanding for community members living below the poverty line. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Bonny McCarty, an advisor in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., talks with her fellow participants in a poverty simulation held on campus recently. Participants were each assigned a character and family situation to navigate to mimic what it’s like to live below the poverty line. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Community volunteers Jolene Radnoti, Read To Succeed director, background at left, and Brittany Satinover, UT/TSU Extension agent, participate in a poverty simulation held recently at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. In the foreground, a student is assigned the character of a little boy, simulated by a doll, who is accompanied by his parent at a health department appointment. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Participants in a poverty simulation held recently at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., experience a first-hand look at realities low-income families face. Participants were each assigned a character and family situation to navigate through various scenarios to mimic living below the poverty line. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

ALICE, an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed