While most students sleep in warm beds, members of Ball State University's Jewish organization Hillel will camp out under the stars in a temporary structure at the intersection of McKinley and University avenues.
The structure, called a sukkah, is a traditional two-and-a-half-sided shelter built in honor of the Jewish harvest holiday Sukkot.
Sukkot is actually a seven-day holiday, but Hillel will only keep the structure up for the first two days, from 8:30 p.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The holiday comes during harvest time, and Hillel is decorating the sukkah with gourds and crepe paper, Hillel member Ben Goldenberg said.
"It's a fun holiday event," Goldenberg said. "We are just really going to be enjoying the outside, which is really what the holiday is about."
There are several possible origins of the sukkah, according to everythingjewish.com. The holiday commemorates the Israelites wandering the desert, and the Web site said the structures could be based off the ones the Israelites built.
Goldenberg also said the sukkah is based on huts built by farmers in fields during harvest time so they would not have to go back to the house.
Hillel members will pass out flyers during the day and will sleep in the sukkah at night. Goldenberg said at least two members will be in the structure at all times.
"They will probably bring friends to make it more fun," Goldenberg said. "Hillel members will be sleeping there to make sure nothing happens to it during the night."
Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) fraternity, which is a nationally Jewish fraternity, has been working closely with Hillel this year and helped build the sukkah. President Zac Hart said while none of the current ZBT members are Jewish, they felt they should team up with Hillel. He spent the night in the sukkah on Sunday.
Despite temperatures dropping below 50 degrees, Hart was still excited to build the sukkah and spend the night. Hillel member Chase Rabineau also slept in the sukkah Sunday night. He was the only person to do so who was not a member of ZBT. He said he became involved with Hillel after going to Israel over the summer and discovering his Jewish roots.
"I'm just really excited," Rabineau said. "Really excited for people to ask about it and explain the Feast of the Tabernacle. Hopefully people will learn stuff."
There will also be a tzedakah, or collection box, at the sukkah to raise money for Save a Child's Heart, a charity that raises money to help children with heart conditions. Hillel member Phil Werbel said Hillel had not set a monetary goal.
"We are not looking for much, we are just looking to get people interested in things," Werbel said. "We want to help out as much as we can."
Hillel is a multinational Jewish organization. Werbel said he hopes the sukkah will raise interest in the Ball State chapter, which has been around for about seven years.
"We are not just looking for Jewish members, but anyone curious in the Jewish religion, what's going on around campus or different views," Werbel said. "We want people to know we are here, and if there is anything you want to know about, just come talk to us."
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