As the IPFW students entered the banquet area Monday, colored placemats denoted their place in society. Only one person out of 10 was served, and the others were told to either go get a small bowl of rice or rice and beans.

“I feel like a jerk,” freshman Tara Beitler said as she ate her chicken, roll, potatoes and beans while fellow classmate Mallory Rosswurm sat next to her with just a bowl of rice and “dirty” water.

“It's hard,” Rosswurm said as she watched Beitler eat. “I'm very hungry.”

The point had hit home for IPFW's fourth annual Hunger Banquet. The event raises awareness of poverty around the world, especially in the inequitable distribution of food.

“Our hope is that students will walk away from this impacted,” said Leigh Ann Routh, IPFW's assistant director of First Year Experience. And they did. They walked away impacted - and hungry.

“It may not be as bad as people in Africa, but I'm hungry,” said freshman Mitch Fallon, who had finished his half a cup of rice before the “privileged” student had even eaten most of her salad.

First Year Experience aims to welcome students to IPFW through community-outreach efforts, such as Community Harvest Food Bank, which collects and distributes food to those in need locally.

The Hunger Banquet stemmed from a class project that tried to explain diversity and white privilege.

“(Hunger is) something that they don't see and they don't think about,” said Barbara Kirkwood, associate director for group services for Court Appointed Special Advocates, which brought the idea to IPFW. “It worked out really well.”

More than 150 students participated Monday.

Most quickly ate their rice, wishing they would have had breakfast that day, and others enjoyed the privilege of being chosen for a full meal.

The rest grabbed more food after the event, all the more appreciating their place in society.