Pepperdine students are trading in their luxuries this week and taking on a representation of the lifestyle of the homeless in Los Angeles.
While these students are not fully replicating this lifestyle several are giving up food and shelter in honor of the Week of Hunger and Homelessness. These students have been camping out in Joslyn Plaza since Sunday Nov. 15.
On the first night alone about 20 students camped out for the night.
In addition to exchanging their warm rooms with boxes and sleeping bags outside they have been forfeiting cafeteria food for donated food or going with out food altogether.
“A lot of people are fasting all week. Some of us are just eating what people give us freshman Kacie Scherler said.
Scherler is a member of the International Justice Mission (IJM) on campus, the groups that has arranged this demonstration.
There aren’t any set rules said IJM Vice President Amanda Cowie, a senior. It’s just every person deciding what they want to do.”
For some this means not only giving up food for the week but also giving up showering and other dorm room luxuries. Granted IJM is expecting some participants to not take as drastic or long-term of measures.
“We don’t have it that bad Cowie said. As much as I want to say I’m sacrificing a lot for this cause I’m really not. We have our warm sleeping bags and we have each other.”
Although Pepperdine students say they are not necessarily toughing it out the same way that the homeless in the Los Angeles area do they are still braving the elements for a cause that they care about.
“At the beginning of the year IJM talked about things we wanted to do. We noticed that on the calendar PVC [Pepperdine Volunteer Center] had the Week of Hunger and Homelessness Cowie said.
Cowie noted that this week did not have any particular events like the campout, and thought including it would be a beneficial measure to raise money and awareness.
The group is selling shirts in the Adamson plaza to benefit L.A. Mission, an organization that provides services for those without homes, jobs or easy access to a warm meal.
It’s a harsh road so we’re trying to raise funds and awareness freshman Marissa Belombre said.
Belombre is a student in the Social Action And Justice seminar, which inspired her to participate. For our class with SAAJ we went to skid row she said. You get a good birds-eye view.”
The overwhelming problem of homelessness is very evident in skid row and all throughout the Los Angeles area.
Los Angeles is considered by some to be the homeless capital of the U.S. Scherler reported that in 2005 there were 80000 homeless in L.A. on any given night. In 2009 that number changed to 43000.
“Homelessness isn’t always a choice Cowie said. They aren’t always slackers or drug addicts. Sometimes these things just happen.”
Members of the IJM and other concerned students are using this opportunity to empathize with the homeless in L.A. and get other students to take note of the cause as well.
“We as human beings have the duty to take care of each other Cowie said.