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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 16, 2005 Southern Oregon University students Sam Baldwin, left, and Megan Amort greet homeless friend Richard Haines Tuesday night during a sleepout on the campus grounds to raise awareness for the issues surrounding homeless people. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli A night with the homeless SOU students try to raise awareness of homeless issues by spending the night outside with them By CHRIS CONRAD Mail Tribune "All I want to know is: Does anybody have a cigarette?," asks Jeff, who has been homeless for seven years. Jeff and a few of his friends gathered in a dark grassy area near the Stevenson Union with a group of Southern Oregon University students during Tuesday night’s sleepout to honor Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week. The Ashland event was sponsored by the Oregon Student Interest Research Group (OSPIRG), an organization determined to educate the SOU community about Ashland’s alleged inability to deal well with its transient population. Around 20 SOU students were treated to stories of life on the streets by people who have perfected the art of urban camping. A debate by a couple of students whether to spend the night on a chilly patch of concrete instead of the wet grass led to the first lesson. Advertisement "Never lay on concrete, man," says Spade, who has lived on the road since he was 12 years old. "Concrete sucks the body heat out of you." When asked if he brought anything for the sleepout, Spade laughs. "We don’t have food or sleeping bags," he says. "We got stories." Spade and Jeff begin rolling cigarettes, partly it seems out of habit, and partly to stay warm. Twenty-three-year-old Alissa Cordner helped coordinate the sleepout for OSPIRG. She said that such events are needed to increase awareness among students and Ashland residents. "There are such restrictive laws in Ashland against sleeping in public places," she said. "We’re lucky to have a place to sleep tonight." Cordner said that there are around 40 active SOU members of OSPIRG, a number she would like to see increase this year. "There really isn’t a strong activist sense on campus," she said. "I think there are a lot of students who feel strongly about issues, but there are not a lot of outlets for them." The sleepout touches off a week of activities, including a free meal on campus Wednesday and a demonstration on Thursday. Hunger and Homeless coordinators and SOU freshmen Megan Amort and Sam Baldwin say Ashland’s strict laws against transients sleeping in public places are a major problem. They described how a friend received a $250 citation from the Ashland police after he was caught sleeping in a 24-hour laundromat. "How is someone without any food or shelter going to afford a $250 citation?" Amort asks. Amort and Baldwincriticized the city for not establishing transitional housing in Ashland to give the homeless a warm and safe spot to sleep while they are looking for a place to live. The sleepout coordinators have a ready response for cynics who say they are rich college posers only pretending to be homeless because it’s convenient for them. "We’re not trying to be homeless," Amort said. "We’re just trying to get volunteers to help get transitional housing. It’s all about awareness." "We need an army," Baldwin adds. Soon, Spade starts lecturing the group on the many uses of cardboard in urban camping. He says it’s mankind’s greatest invention. It could be both a blanket and a sleeping mat, he said. "It’s important to get college students out of their warm dorm rooms to at least see what it’s like to sleep outside for a night," Amort says. Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4459, or e-mail A night with the homeless ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Salvia Divinorum Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s