UB's Night Out for Homelessness is Friday. It will be a test of the university's student body, one that will prove how seriously we can take an issue.
The Night Out for Homelessness is an old idea. People spend a night living in the elements, trying to raise money for various charitable organizations while simultaneously experiencing a facet of life that they hope never to be forced into.
Participants are supposed to gain empathy for the homeless, so it's no wonder that one of the taglines associated with various iterations of the even around the country has been "walk a mile in another's shoes."
But if the event scheduled to take place outside the CFA is meant to be an honest representation of a night as a vagrant, then the event's managers are out of their minds.
In an effort to draw participants this year, organizers have turned the Night Out into an event similar to Relay for Life, with live entertainment, pizza at midnight and the option to bring a tent.
Now, the point could be made that UB's apathetic student body wouldn't bother to attend if they weren't going to be given something, or it wasn't at least going to be fun.
Point taken.
But if that's the case, then perhaps should be renamed?
Make no mistake; this event is a good thing. It's guaranteed to raise some money, and if that money makes one person's life better, then the event is a complete success.
To continue calling it a Night Out for Homelessness, though, would be a little arrogant. This was originally intended to be a night out for the homeless; people spending a night outside their comfort zones in order to solidify their resolve to help people.
This has become, however, a night out for the homeless. People will be entertained and fed and will learn nothing but the fact that it feels good to throw money at a problem. It's a social event.
But there's still time to make it so much more, to bring the whole shebang back to its roots.
Forgo the tent. Don't leave early, even though it's allowed. Make an honest effort to understand how some people are forced to live, and learn from that experience.
Get outside your comfort zone.
Do more than donate your cash and forget about it - this is the only chance many students will know how it feels to be homeless, so truly try to get a feel for what it's like in someone else's shoes on a cold night outside.
Otherwise, stop kidding yourselves and go work in a soup kitchen for a while.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
