PRESS RELEASE
Fairfield University students will build a “Cardboard City” near the entrance to the Barone Campus Center on Wednesday,
Nov. 19, “to raise consciousness about the plight of the homeless,” said Joshua St. Onge of Waterbury, Conn., co-president of the Campus Ministry Council, which is spearheading the effort. He and co-chair Ronnie Christiansen of Staten Island, N.Y., are urging students to stay the night in the flimsy shelter against the cold, or to at least stop by and spend some time there, to get a sense of what the homeless must endure.
Beginning at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the students will send two or three people out across campus every hour to invite other students to visit “Cardboard City” and learn more about what is happening with the poor in America. Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J., university chaplain, will lead a teach-in and prayer service at the site at 8 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.
Fairfield students have been holding these demonstrations since 1992, when students encouraged their peers to “Live simply so others may simply live.” St. Onge feels it is a message that bears repeating each year.
Students from Campus Ministry and Student Athletes will also be conducting a campus-wide drive to collect non-perishable food and money for turkeys. The foods collected will be given to homeless shelters in Bridgeport and Fairfield.
Questions may be directed to Nancy Habetz, director of media relations, 203-254-4000, ext. 2647.
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