Spring Break
Tate Center to host poverty simulation
JULIA SEVY
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: News
Waking up in the middle of the Tate Student Center in a cardboard house may seem funny, but it could emulate the actual living conditions of homeless people.
The University's Habitat for Humanity chapter is trying to raise students' awareness of how people in poverty live through its annual Habifest demonstration, Camille Evans, a junior from LaGrange and Habitat's vice president of public relations, said.
Habifest is the main event of Habitat for Humanity's Act! Speak! Build! Week.
Participants will be assigned a social class and will receive the same portion of food that someone of that class would typically eat, Jess Bolfik, a junior from Savannah and Habitat's vice president of advocacy and education, said.
Patrick Scanlan from Habitat International will speak at the banquet.
Students can spend the night in the cardboard houses, Evans said.
"When you wake up, people will be looking at you like you're crazy," she said.
But, it reminds students of how homeless people must feel when people stare at them, she said.
Other activities include live music and games.
Bolfik has participated in the event for the past two years and said it is a great advocacy event to get the word out about how detrimental poverty is.
"Building the houses is a great way to get people's attention," she said.
Habifest is $10, which includes dinner and a T-shirt.
The University's Habitat for Humanity chapter is trying to raise students' awareness of how people in poverty live through its annual Habifest demonstration, Camille Evans, a junior from LaGrange and Habitat's vice president of public relations, said.
Habifest is the main event of Habitat for Humanity's Act! Speak! Build! Week.
BANQUET
Festivities will begin with a poverty banquet tonight in Student Learning Center room 150.Participants will be assigned a social class and will receive the same portion of food that someone of that class would typically eat, Jess Bolfik, a junior from Savannah and Habitat's vice president of advocacy and education, said.
Patrick Scanlan from Habitat International will speak at the banquet.
BUILDING
The group will move to Tate Plaza to build cardboard houses imitating homeless living conditions.Students can spend the night in the cardboard houses, Evans said.
"When you wake up, people will be looking at you like you're crazy," she said.
But, it reminds students of how homeless people must feel when people stare at them, she said.
Other activities include live music and games.
Bolfik has participated in the event for the past two years and said it is a great advocacy event to get the word out about how detrimental poverty is.
"Building the houses is a great way to get people's attention," she said.
VIGIL
The evening will conclude with a candlelight vigil, in which participants will read facts about poverty aloud and take one minute to reflect, she said.Habifest is $10, which includes dinner and a T-shirt.
Be the first to comment on this story