By Liz Coffin-KarlinThe Daily Northwestern

With only a sleeping bag, Nicky Smith is recreating the experience of being homeless every night through Finals Week.

The SESP sophomore plans to sleep by The Rock until June 9 to raise campus consciousness about homelessness.

Smith began his 35-night camp-out Sunday and painted The Rock with his message the next day.

A calendar counting down how long he’s been sleeping outside is posted on a nearby tree along with a pamphlet about Connections for the Homeless, an Evanston-based organization that provides resources and programs for Chicago’s homeless population.

Smith said he hopes to show the community that students care about homelessness. He also said his campaign is to end homelessness practically, instead of setting goals that are never executed.

“We make these deadlines (to end homelessness) but then … we still haven’t met that demand in any subset,” Smith said, referring to veterans, single women and their families, children and individuals in need of drug or alcohol rehabilitation.

Smith has worked with the homeless since coming to NU at places such as St. Thomas Soup Kitchen and the Inspiration Cafe. He is currently an intern at Connections for the Homeless.

When Smith came up with the idea of camping out, he discussed it with Jonathan Marino, SESP ’06, who is on the Connections’ board of directors. Smith said that he wanted his “strike” to benefit Connections.

“This isn’t about (Smith) getting attention,” Marino said.

Throughout his endeavor, there will be several “milestones” when community activists against homelessness will visit NU and talk about their work.

Smith said he also hopes Dance Marathon will consider Connections as a beneficiary next year.

“One year of DM would dramatically increase the amount of work Connections could do,” Marino said. “If I were a DM co-chair, I would jump on it.”

Even though the weather is warm, Smith said in the two nights he has spent outside, he has gotten very little sleep because of distractions from passers-by.

“I feel really safe there,” he said. “But I can’t imagine how you get used to going to a city and sleeping in an alley.”

Smith was recently fired from his job as a Community Assistant at Public Affairs Residential College and was forced to move out.

“I got kicked out of the dorm, so I might as well sleep outside,” he said.

Marino said he felt all college students, even those living in dorms, were likely to feel a connection with the homeless because they live away from where they grew up.

“We call NU our temporary home for a few years … homelessness is for people without a home,” he said.

Smith’s friend, Weinberg sophomore Sam Hunt, has also spent two nights sleeping at The Rock.

“What he’s doing is definitely going to bring about greater awareness to the problem,” Hunt said.

He also said he believes this kind of strike “does a lot more good than some of the typical protest activities are doing these days.”

Smith said that while he could never be in “full solidarity” with the legitimately homeless, he hopes to recreate the experience as much as possible during his time sleeping outside.

He is trying not to spend any money on food and will soon get rid of the sleeping bag.

Smith will also have a hat out to raise money for Connections.

“If this is a way to raise awareness about (homelessness), I’m going to do this,” he said.

Reach Liz Coffin-Karlin at [email protected].