By: Diane Pauley
College campuses are making an effort to combat homelessness across America.
This campaign is currently known as The One Campus Challenge, which is
part of a larger organization known as The One Campaign which has a
major focus on combating global disease and extreme poverty.
The goal of The One Campaign is to recruit 100,000 new members and to
get 1,000 campuses to join in the effort to beat homelessness. Thus
far, 1,250 campuses have decided to partake in the challenge, which has
exceeded the initial goal.
The One Campaign has until April of next year to meet its goal. In
order to get campuses to actively participate in the challenge, there
are three phases to the campaign along with a merit-based point system.
"The goal is for the campuses to take the initiative to make a
difference on their campus," said Kimberly Cadena, the spokesperson for
The One Campaign. This way, they gain points through their
achievements.
The first phase, which takes place between December and January,
includes the 100 campuses with the most points. The campus with the
most points will be able to send their specific chapter president to
Washington D.C. to meet with the individuals who lead The One Campaign
and to attend various conferences and events.
The second phase takes place throughout March, where the top 100 campuses compete.
At the end of March, the third phase to be put into action is the
selection of the top 10 campuses in the country. Each campus is given
various support by The One Campaign in order to create one unique event
to target homelessness and poverty.
A winner will be chosen by individuals across the country by voting at The One's Web site, which is one.org/campus.
"The winner will receive a special performance at their campus," Cadena
said. The performer will be announced approximately midway throughout
the challenge.
UConn is not participating in the challenge this year, but work is being done to end poverty.
Amanda Ploch, a 5th-semester political science and human rights double
major, is the vice-president of ConnPIRG on campus and feels that there
"are many events to raise awareness" about this issue. ConnPIRG is a
community service organization that has four campaigns it focuses on.
The campaigns include Hunger and Homelessness, global warming, registering new voters, and making textbooks affordable. Ploch is also the chief
organizational officer for the Hunger and Homelessness campaign as well
as a member of The One.
"The university targets the same areas which The One targets," Ploch said.
However, this does not mean that efforts are not being taken to combat
this issue. Numerous events have been planned for this year, including
one on Oct. 23 in which a panel of homeless individuals speak out on
the issue at the Dodd Center at 7 p.m.
The following day, Oct. 24, there will be another speaker, Liz Murray,
speaking on behalf of her life story, which she turned into a book
known as Homeless to Harvard. Murray will be speaking at the Student Union Ballroom at 7 p.m.
On Nov. 14 there will be a homelessness sleep-out in which anyone can
participate and be able to feel what it is like to live out on the
streets. In addition to these events, the members of the Hunger and
Homelessness campaign volunteer their time at local homeless shelters
around the area on a weekly basis.
Overall, UConn is taking its own active role in slowly helping to end
poverty. The One Campaign and its One Campus Challenge are wonderful
programs for the country to become involved in, but the goal of these
campaigns is to get campuses across the country involved in this issue.
And so, even though UConn is not part of The One Campus Challenge, it
is still involved in the cause. ConnPIRG has already incorporated a
campaign in its program, which targets hunger and homelessness.
UConn is taking initiative and trying to take the right steps in aiding
the battle against poverty. And even though UConn is one school trying
to make a difference, it is not alone in the effort. The One Campaign
has gotten more campuses involved, and together a true impact can be
made.
