YSU Learning to relate to the homeless
About 100 students spent the night outdoors in cardboard boxes.
By ROGER G. SMITH
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The homeless man didn't give them his name, and didn't say much.
What he didn't offer in words, however, he offered in opportunity Saturday to Youngstown State University freshman Becky Grove of Farmdale and Darcy Davis of Amsterdam.
The man agreed to let the women, who are in YSU's honors and scholars program, into his shack under a downtown bridge for a glimpse into his life.
A planned sleepout in a cardboard box overnight outside their dorm in 35-degree temperatures with rain and snow coming down merely rounded out the experience.
"It just leaves you completely speechless," Grove said.
Annual event
About 100 students in the scholars and honors program expected to wake up wet and cold this morning, an annual event on campus since 1998.
That's the reality that Shantytown 2002 and its predecessors have impressed upon students, said Amy Cossentino, assistant director of the scholars and honors program.
The students are on scholarships where most everything is taken care of for them, she said. Experiencing the opposite makes them more passionate about volunteering and helping those in need, she said.
"It gives them ... reality," Cossentino said of the students. "They appreciate what they have."
Lending a hand
Students have been researching different elements on homelessness through the semester. They also raised about $1,000 from businesses and $700 from students for several related organizations.
Saturday, they spent the day volunteering with agencies that deal with homelessness and housing. Among them were Second Harvest Foodbank, Habitat for Humanity, Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
The volunteer aspect was more intense this year compared to past years, said Adam Vukovic, a junior from McDonald who was this year's Shantytown chairman.
The event is fun, which prompts future volunteering, said Vukovic, who slept outside the past two years.
But students need a deeper exposure to get a more true understanding of the problem -- if that's possible, he said.
"I don't know how any of us can really understand," he said.
Learned plenty
Grove and Davis both grew up in rural areas where homelessness wasn't an issue. They learned plenty just in their short introduction to life under a bridge.
They were most struck by how the homeless man handled his setting. He put lots of effort into the shanty, from its construction and kerosene heating to the decorations.
The man's efforts showed his ingenuity, Davis said. "It's obvious he works really hard."
The man wasn't embarrassed or unhappy about his circumstances, either.
"He wasn't what so many people consider homeless people," Grove said.
In the evening, they and the other students had a forum with members of the Homeless Coalition of Mahoning Valley.
Then, it was outside and into the boxes overnight, covered by black plastic sheeting.
A refrigerator box was the luxury accommodation.
rgsmith@vindy.com