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| Vol. 18, No. 35 | June 24, 1999 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 35 | June 24, 1999 |
Both Matt Chiasson and Lindsey Auten are concerned about the homeless.
"It was an epiphany," she said. "We were having a staff meeting one day, and it came to me. I said, 'Wouldn't it be great if an RA stayed out on the streets overnight to bring attention to homelessness?' "
She's been doing it since her sophomore year, and last year, she and the students who went with her received over $100 in donations, which they gave to the Delaware Food Bank.
But, the money isn't the focus, she said. "We have raised awareness, we've made people think about it."
Auten and three other students left their rooms at 8 a.m. The idea is to remain on the streets until the next day at 8 a.m., but she's the only one who has actually lasted that long. They take to the streets with information sheets and signs about homelessness and talk to anyone who approaches them. They use only public bathrooms and don't eat unless food is given to them. If the weather is cool, they layer heavily. "Last year, April was really cold and rainy. It rained all night," she said. She has spent the night in the courtyard of the Rodney complex.
"The most shocking thing for me is the boredom," she said. "Having nothing to do and no place to go." And, Auten admits, it isn't even close to the real thing. Still, she said she believes just seeing students willing to live on the streets-if only for one night-and talking about the problems of homelessness has made the people they've interacted with more mindful of the issue. Auten said that some have even shared their own experiences.
They get very mixed reactions, Auten said. "We've been treated the way some people treat the homeless. They turn away and don't want to know about us. I guess they fear it." 
-Barbara Garrison
Photo by Jack Buxbaum
