UT students sleep out for the homeless

TAMPA - No food, no cell phones– just boxes and blankets. That's how dozens of University of Tampa students will be spending their weekend.

"I'll just be sitting in this box. I just have a sweater with me," UT senior Sarah Bernstein said.

Students are curling up in cardboard, resting their heads on the grass and calling the outdoors home for the next 24 hours.

Mike Seitzler is with the Peace Volunteer Center and helped organize this event.

"They'll get hungry, they'll get tired and just want to lay around and sleep, and it's difficult," Seitzler said.

The event is called a "Sleep-Out" and is a yearly program to recognize homelessness.

"It's hard to have nothing - you just have your box - one or two boxes and just sit," UT senior Joshua Taylor said.

Students began filling the courtyard from at 9 a.m. Friday and will remain there until 9 a.m. Saturday. No electronics of any kind are allowed.

"I think it's just a better understanding of what it's like to be homeless and we're trying to break down the stereotypes," Seitzler explained.

The students can take breaks. They can check in and check out if they need a bathroom break or need to attend a class. But other than that, the grass will be their home for the next 24 hours.

Those participating said one of the toughest parts is some of the looks they get from others passing by.

"It is kind of an odd feeling," Taylor said. "You kind of feel like you're being watched by everybody."

"Just looking at you funny. I definitely think that's a huge part of it, just the emotional side of it," Bernstein said.

The students will go back to their lives in just a few hours, but the experience will not be easily forgotten.

"I'm sure there's a lot of students that haven't met any homeless people or talked with them and it's an eye opener," Taylor said.