With only a dim glow from the Memorial Union and Campanile for light, they stood huddled around their cardboard homes. As a priest walked among them offering food and drinks, they welcomed the piping hot chocolate, as a partial cure for the unseasonably cold temperatures.

The people calling the cardboard camp “home” for the night were not there because they had to be. There was nothing stopping them from hopping in their cars and returning to the heat and comfort of their dorms and apartments. But about 20 Iowa State students who were “sleeping out” under the Campanile Wednesday night had no intentions of leaving. They were there for a reason, and they were there to stay.

The students were participating in a “sleep-out” for the homeless, a 24-hour event to raise awareness of the homeless. From noon Wednesday to noon Thursday, the students put themselves in the tattered shoes of the homeless, right on central campus.

Amber Eriksen, a sophomore in psychology, spent more time there then anyone. She was planning to spend nearly 18 hours at the event. “It’s not too often that you get to raise awareness, especially on this conservative campus.”

Her refrigerator box turned “apartment” was brightly decorated inside and out, with pictures of Comet Hale-Bopp, stars and a window brightening the interior.

The project was co-sponsored by the service and justice team from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Student Center and the Iowa State chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Sleeping in appliance boxes donated by local businesses, the group members kept their spirits up by playing games, singing songs and making new friends.

Several people said the boxes, filled with newspapers and sleeping bags, were surprisingly warm. That turned out to be a benefit, as temperatures dipped well below freezing.

“People ask why we didn’t reschedule,” Eriksen said, “but homeless people can’t decide ‘Oh, we can’t be homeless right now.'” The students brought garbage bags to cover themselves in case it snowed.

Besides protecting themselves from the elements, Monica Leahy, a sophomore in speech communication, said that there were a lot of other aspects of homeless life to consider. “It brings up a lot of points that you don’t usually think about, like what do they do with all the free time, and where do they go to the bathroom?”

Being in such a well-traveled location in the heart of campus, the event attracted quite a bit of attention. Organizers said many people stopped by throughout the day, including one man who truly understood what the students were experiencing.

“We had a man who was homeless for a year come and talk to us,” said Lora Wedge, a senior in women’s studies and chairwoman of the event. The man is now a student at ISU.

“He heard about it and decided he had to come and talk to us. It was really a moving and revealing experience to talk to him,” said Matt Brandenburg, a senior in biology.

Another man who used to call the streets home visited with the students later in the evening. This man, who would only identify himself as “Silver Flame,” said that he had been homeless for two years. He lived on the streets of three different cities during that time. “I think it’s great,” he said of the event.

Silver Flame, who is now employed at the MU Food Court, said he even called Parks Library and the Durham Center “home” for a while.

“I was never far from a campus that I could blend in on. It’s amazing how invisible we can be,” he said, adding that the people of Ames, including the ISU Department of Public Safety, treated him best while he was on the streets.

Wedge said that homelessness is a bigger problem in Ames then most people realize. “It’s really just more hidden here,” she said. One of the reasons Ames has such a problem, she said, is because of the high cost of housing in town.