Columbia 'Confessions' Expose Hunger and Sense of Alienation

At Columbia University, a Facebook page is sparking conversation. Campus Confessions is a forum for students to anonymously post stories about the difficulties of staying in school when you don't have much money.

One post from April 3 reads: “I've been homeless for the past two months. I've slept everywhere from Butler to Barnard Hall to the GS Lounge. I eat at club meetings. I never thought going to school here would be so hard. I never thought I'd be homeless.”

The page was started by Toni Airaksinen, a freshman from Ohio, who was inspired by similar pages at Stanford and the University of Chicago.

“In the first day it got over a thousand likes and I was just floored,” Airaksinen said.

An informal survey of students on Columbia’s campus found most had heard of the site, but fewer had spent much time reading it. Amy Garvey, a senior who is studying medicine, agreed that there’s a class divide on campus, and it’s a problem. But she doesn’t think a Facebook forum can do much good.

“It's just not a healthy place for dialogue and I feel like people aren't coming in with like the mindset to change or to be challenged,” Garvey said.

In fact, Campus Confessions does seem to be having some effect. This week, the student group FLIP (First-Generation and/or Low Income Partnership) launched a "meal share" program to donate extra swipes to get into the cafeteria to anyone who needs it. And FLIP members are now talking with the university about keeping cafeterias open during breaks. They say it's a small move that would keep some students from going to bed hungry.

A university spokesman said in an emailed statement that about half of undergrads receive financial aid, and Columbia is committed to meeting their full needs.