"The whole point of this event is to present a real perspective for people," said Jonathan Merten '09, who organized the week's events. "It's easy to look at the stats and see that a billion people live on less than a dollar a day. This puts a real face on it. It's not trying to replicate poverty; it's just a representation."
In effort to reflect inequities in global food distribution, attendees at the hunger banquet were served different amounts and types of food depending on which ticket they were randomly given at the door. The tickets -- labeled high, middle or low income -- were allocated to mirror worldwide income disparities. A handful of students received a nutritious meal and several others were given rice and beans, but most of the 30 attendees received low income tickets and dined solely on rice and water.
French and Italian professor John Rassias emceed the event, and emphasized the volatility of world economic conditions in an exercise that shifted some students' income assignments.
"No one can choose the circumstances into which they are born," Rassias said, explaining that many of the situations and events that keep people impoverished are out of their control.
Gyudea Moore, a representative of the non-profit organization Bread for the World, delivered the keynote address at this years hunger banquet. Moore focused on living in Liberia and challenged students to fight the socioeconomic "norms of today."
Monday night's sleep-out, which included performances by the Rockapellas and Decibelles drew an estimated crowd of 100 people who came and went throughout the evening. While only 15 stayed the whole night, the turnout was still greater than past years, co-planner Elise Braunschweig '08 said.
The sleep-out raised $350 for the Upper Valley Haven, a homeless shelter for families located in White River Junction, Vt. The Haven plans to use this money to help finance a new shelter for single people.
Some students questioned the "real" nature of the sleep-out experience.
"The fact that people chose not to come due to the wind and rain and cold just reminded me that we have that option, to stay inside where we are warm and dry," Erika Ruberry '07 said. "I'm not sure that people were made more aware of how it would really feel to be homeless. But, I'm glad that they were able to raise a lot of money for the Haven..."
Event organizers emphasized that the purpose of the event was not to entirely replicate being homeless, but to "bring awareness to the people walking by on the porch," Braunschweig said.
At the sleep-out, Sarah Sennott, the developing coordinator for the Haven, discussed the program's work and shared stories of several families in an effort to put a face on the issue of homelessness in the Upper Valley.
"Having guest speakers who deal with these issues on a daily basis in this community really seemed to bring it home for students," co-planner Elizabeth Bissell '08 said. "Although homelessness in the Upper Valley is sometimes hidden, it is a real problem that needs to be addressed."
While Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week at Dartmouth has been an annual tradition, Merten wanted to emphasize the fair trade theme this year.
"I just think that we're smart students, and most people know there's hunger and homelessness throughout the world. The idea of this week was to link that to global trade policy, to break it down to what we can do as students to work against hunger and inequality," Merten said.
Tonight, petitions supporting fair trade will be available for students to sign at Novack Cafe between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Fair trade coffee and chocolate will also be served.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is sponsored by Dartmouth Ends Hunger and the William Jewett Tucker Foundation.
