The time of day or night is no factor in a situation like this.

Neither is the precise location, per se.

Athens is the consummate college town, and as such, it is prey to the panhandling of young residents by those in search of money.

According to the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, students give more money to panhandlers than any other group.

And according to Katherine Lookofsky, executive director of the Athens Downtown Developmental Authority, panhandlers target students specifically — especially at the beginning of a new semester.

We don’t want to sound devoid of heart or soul. But despite their appearance, these statistics don’t derive from philanthropic veins.

Instead, they are founded in ignorance and naïveté on the student’s part.

When students give to panhandlers, they do not use the proper outlets with which to commit charitable actions.

They do not give to organizations that are legally sanctioned to provide planned assistance to those in need of it.

In addition, students do not give means to a guaranteed end result. They blindly contribute funds without knowing how or toward what the recipient might use them.

Students do not give to local businesses, either.

As long as students continue to give money to panhandlers, they effectively prolong panhandlers’ presence in busy areas -— in front of downtown shops and cafes, for example.

And many business owners fear this drives customers away.

Though panhandling is not illegal, it does not seem truly beneficial for anyone involved.

University students looking to help a stranger should seek safer and more efficient routes rather than lending a blind handful of cents.

—Melissa Buckman is the opinions editor of The Red & Black