On the fourth floor of the Ralph Brown Draughon library through a maze of bookshelves, nestled under an empty desk at 7 a.m. every Monday through Friday, is an occupied sleeping bag.
Patton Chambers, junior in physical science, is not sleeping in the library because he has a chemistry exam to study for.
Patton chooses to live a homeless lifestyle and has been since the Saturday before fall semester started.
The Patton's day-to-day consists of sleeping in the library on weekdays, sleeping in a tent by the old track on weekends, cooking 13-cent oatmeal in the microwave in the Student Center for breakfast, eating outdated Planters peanuts he bought at a flea market for lunch and showering in his underwear in the Recreation and Wellness Center.
"I stay fresh enough," Patton said. "If I swim in a pool I feel like that did something. It's going to sound gross, but I have not changed my underwear once this semester."
Patton said he hasn't run into any trouble with campus security yet.
Patton said he decided to be homeless after a job he had last year didn't give him the college experience he desired.
"I just want to experience something," Patton said. "When I was living in an apartment, I wasn't experiencing anything. I wasn't involved in anything and nothing was coming out of it. At least with the homeless experience, I know I'll get something out of it. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, something's going to come out of it."
Patton pays for school through loans and money from his mother. He also sold his motorcycle last year to pay for the initial gear and food needed to live without a roof over his head.
Krisiti Browning, Patton's friend, said Patton has never followed the norm.
"Out of our group of friends, he's always been the one that thinks differently than all of us," Browning said. "He always wants to do all these activities that aren't like what everyone else is doing. He wants to be his own person."
Because of the approximately five hours of down time Patton has every day, he has been able to join more organizations on campus, such as UPC and intramural sports, while also tutoring people.
Patton said he wants to student teach in Taiwan through Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching and then go to South Korea to teach full time.
"After I come back from (South Korea), I think I'll want to settle down and start my career," Patton said. "I don't like being tied down because I think it hurts your opportunities."
David Chambers, Patton's uncle, said he doesn't really know what to make of Patton's lifestyle.
"When he first told me about it I thought he was insane," David said. "I do like the way that it helps you experience the way people are. When you have no income and no place to stay, you tend to rely on the kindness and generosity of others."
Patton's brother, Nicholas Chambers, said Patton would not regret this life choice.
"One thing I can say about Patton is when he's old and gray he won't look back on his life and say, 'There were things that I should've done or done differently,'" Nicholas said. "He's living life to the fullest and that's definitely something we can all learn from."
During the winter months, Patton said he'd hang out in the Student Center as much as he can.
Patton said there would have to be a life or death situation for him to stop living homeless. He plans to live this way until he graduates in three semesters.
"If I got some kind of intense illness or something happened with my family I would quit," Patton said.
Nicholas said he has faith in Patton to stay homeless until he graduates.
"For anybody else I would say they would only last till the winter, but with Patton, even if he doesn't like it he's pretty stubborn and if he says he's going to do something then he will," Nicholas said.
While Patton isn't in class or playing intramural sports, he blogs about his homeless adventures.
Other than Patton's biggest fear of misplacing something, he said the homeless lifestyle works for him.
"It's like you're on an endless vacation, especially on a campus like Auburn," Patton said. "I'm also always free. I can always do everything and I'm tied down by nothing."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
