An anonymous campus organization is encouraging students to spout their emotions about nine topics – first on a blog, and now on giant white boards in the University Center plaza.
The Love/Hate white boards appeared Sept. 10 as the second phase of the elusive campaign, which began Sept. 3 in the form of the Love/Hate Blog.
“We wanted to open up a discussion on campus where we could go deeper into our discussions,” said a spokesperson for the group. “We are trying to learn how the campus community feels about everything from family and friends to church and God.”
The organization and the campaign’s true motives will remain undisclosed until Sept. 17, when the third phase of discussion and activities will be announced.
“It’s interesting how anxious and involved people get when things are kept secret,” the spokesperson said. “It’s helping us really engage the community.”
Although many students walking past the boards chose not to write on them, some did.
“Lately my friend and I have been arguing about Christianity,” said freshman English major Josh Hallman. “So I wrote something about it on the board about it and maybe someone will come by and see it.”
Other students are using the boards for lighter purposes.
“I like the boards,” said freshman physical therapy major Kacy Rust. “It’s fun to write how you feel and see how everyone else feels about things.”
The topics, which are religion, dating, government, Christianity, family, church, friends and God, all spawned a number of comments under both the love and the hate headers.
Some of the ‘loves’ read simply “truth” and “freedom,'” while others under hate said things like “white boards that talk about friends when I have none.”
Just as the boards are filling up with black scribbles, the blog received a steady flow of both readers and comments over the first week of the campaign.
“The blog is going pretty well, we’ve gotten pretty many comments about a variety of things,” the spokesperson said. “There are some back and forth comments that have really gone beyond what people love and hate.”
As far as who’s sponsoring the campaign, the mystery continues to thrive – though not without a variety of speculations.
“I think it’s probably one of those girly groups,” Rust said. “They seem to be taking over campus.”
Another student thought the sponsor might be of a slightly more serious note.
“I’m guessing that since three of the nine boards are about God and Christianity in some form it’s probably sponsored by the Baptist Student Union or the Catholic Newman Club or some sort of religious group,” said Chris Montgomery, junior theatre major.
However, until the third phase gets underway, students will have to satisfy their curiosity by reading and writing on the white boards.
“The white boards on the plaza are the next step in what we are trying to accomplish with the Love/Hate blog,” the spokesperson said. “It’s more personal and out there. It takes more for a person to step up and write something on those boards than it does to post an anonymous comment online.”