Stetson Values: The Hunger Banquet

hunger banquetIt’s nearly 1 p.m., and you didn’t eat breakfast this morning. It’s the lunch rush, so it’ll be at least 20 minutes for an egg and cheese bagel at Einstein’s. You utter the words, “I’m starving.”

Starving. Famished. Hungry.

We use these terms as daily colloquiums without fully grasping the context of the word. The majority of Stetson students do not know what it is like to be “starving.”

The Hunger Banquet aims to change that.

Originally set up by Oxfam, an international organization dedicated to global poverty eradication, this event was introduced to Stetson’s campus through the Student Homeless Coalition.

Rajni Shankar-Brown, Ph.D., associate professor, Jessie Ball duPont Social Justice chair and faculty advisor for the Student Homeless Coalition, distinguishes hunger and poverty as a social injustice.

“Even though in the United States, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, we see this huge disparity between the haves and the have-nots, it’s very easy to take for granted what we have,” Shankar-Brown said. “The ultimate goal with the hunger banquet is to raise student awareness.”

The concept is simple enough. Held on Values Day, the event draws attendance with the promise of food and cultural credits. Students are randomly stratified into classes—upper, middle and lower—and given food-based socioeconomic status.

Members of the upper class were seated at tablecloth-covered tables, attended by servers and given a four-course meal by candlelight.

Middle-class members were seated without tables and given a buffet-style ration of rice and beans.

Lower class members, however, were not seated at all. Sitting on the floor, in the midst of trash and recyclables, students put in lower class were given plain rice and brown water.

Notably, both the lower and middle classes had a stipulation: men had to be served first.

The “banquet” was not quite the grand feast many students had in mind.

Students from the lower class expressed disappointment from the small plate of plain rice. Many came with an appetite, expecting a decent dinner. Instead, they were served perspective.

“The simplicity for the meal adds to the humility of the experience,” said Bryce Holbrook, sophomore finance major. “It helps me be thankful for where I am and what I have.”

Tyler Thomas, first-year Discovery student, noted the impact of having a role during the event.

“We’re always bombarded with information that tells us a minority of people are living below the poverty line,” he said. “But to actually see that and participate in it changes my perspective.”

Often, students believe that poverty can be ameliorated by the decision to simply work harder, however, the Hunger Banquet dissuades stereotypes of the homeless and hungry.

“No one chooses to live in poverty,” said Thomas.

The objective of the event is for students to become aware of their privilege. Sitting within the middle-class, Rachel Shaw, first-year integrated health science major, recognized that the event itself was an extension of privilege—the privilege of only experiencing poverty through a simulation.

“Even though a lot of people are sitting on the floor, everyone seems to be having a good time,” she said. “It’s not really an accurate representation when there is air conditioning. Many people are going to get food afterward.”

The placement of the different classes in the room was also distinctive. The upper class tables were right in front of the lower class individuals on the floor. On the opposing side, sat the middle-class looking directly at those in poverty.

“I feel guilty,” said Annette Morton, sophomore digital arts major, seated in the upper class area. “It’s nice being catered to, but at the same time looking around I feel like I should do something.”

However, seeing poverty at one’s doorstep—or seat, rather—does not always translate to action from wealthier classes.

“People are afraid of the boundary between the classes,” said Morton. “We think about helping the homeless but not much action happens because we’re afraid to associate with them. We’re afraid of giving up what we have, even though we have plenty.”

Shankar-Brown took action by giving her meal to a member of the lower class.

“Many people in the higher class felt guilty,” she said. “But we need to take that guilt and turn it into a positive action and be a change in our community.”

Anna Catherine Payne, senior psychology major and director of Greenfeather, worked closely with the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) to coordinate the Hunger Banquet.

“We wanted Stetson students to realize just how privileged we all are. In the world, we would all be sitting at those white, tablecloth-covered tables,” said Payne.

This year, the event was predominantly attended by first-year students.

“They are all still trying to find their place, and getting them involved is something we want to instill early on,” said Payne. “We want to encourage them to give to the community because we do have a lot of homeless in the DeLand community—in Volusia County.”

Getting involved in volunteering is also very accessible. Many local non-profits are within five minutes from Stetson’s campus.

Simply joining the Stetson Homeless Coalition via OrgSync gives you access to events and puts you in contact with organizations in need of volunteers.

By Veronica Faison