Instead of the warm Hinman College dorms, students slept on the Quad in cardboard boxes on Friday night to see what life is like for the less fortunate.
From 7 p.m. on Friday to 6 a.m. on Saturday, students camped out in 20-degree weather as a part of the program “Sleep Out.” The event was a collaboration between two Hinman resident assistants and the Rescue Mission, an organization which houses homeless men and women while trying to connect them with permanent homes.
Dan Sieburg, the chief programs officer of the Rescue Mission, said he has been reaching out to college students for the past five years. He said educating students is key in the fight against homelessness.
“College students are the next generation of donors,” Sieburg said. “They’re the next generation of volunteers. They can help change the perception of homelessness and help change the perception of who homeless people are and what their issues and barriers are.”
The Rescue Mission reached out to Binghamton University for help with raising awareness for homelessness, and Hinman RAs Claire Gilroy, a junior majoring in biology, and Ciaran Slattery, a junior majoring in computer science, got involved. The organization has also contacted Syracuse University and Ithaca College, all of which have local Rescue Missions.
“Whether students came for 15 minutes or braved the cold for 11 hours, [they] have a new perspective and know more about homelessness,” Gilroy said. “We had many students come and go throughout the night. By 6 a.m., when we closed up shop and went inside, we had about 15 students still outside.”
The event, part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, began with speakers who informed students about the history of homelessness. Sieburg explained that homeless people are often subjected to unfair negative stigmas and are often victims of circumstance.
“They may be homeless, but there’s something deeper there,” Sieburg said. “There are some mental health issues, there may be drug and alcohol addiction issues but something happened in that person’s life. They experienced a level of trauma that they have never been able to work through.”
Participants stayed warm by huddling around flaming trash cans and sipping on hot coffee provided at the event. Many students brought blankets and dressed in layers to stay warm through the night.
Donald Rock, an undeclared freshman, thought it would be interesting to see how homeless people live and said the event was successful in raising awareness.
“People now have a better idea what homeless people go through,” Rock said.
Gilroy and Slattery are RAs for the public service floor in Hinman College, a floor whose residents are interested in social activism and volunteering.
“We’re hoping for a long-term goal,” Slattery said. “Short-term, which is also really good, is like bringing people to soup kitchens. Long-term is getting people to come out to the event and stay for the night, and just increase how much empathy they have towards this. Then later on down the road they’re much more receptive to going out and doing their own projects.”