Oppression through AIDS and anorexia will take physical form today in “Beyond the Words – a Museum of Oppression.”

The museum will be displayed throughout the week to bring awareness to students about past and present problems in the world.

Housing and Dining, which will host the museum for the fourth time, will feature 17 oppression displays.

“It’s to open peoples’ minds and educate them about the issues,” said Laura Smith, associate resident director of Lincoln Hall and coordinator for the event.

Other issues addressed include bulimia, the Holocaust, homelessness, 9/11 and human trafficking.

Besides the many displays illustrating different oppressions similar to last year, there will be a few new additions.

One is a display pertaining to what students can do to help.

Cathy Passananti, associate resident director of Carman Hall and coordinator for the event, went to many organizations in the area looking for ways students can help.

“We are providing a section of what people can do now,” Passananti said.

This new display titled “Teaching Tolerance” emerged from feedback from students who wanted to know what they could do after learning about each oppression.

A second new addition is a poster made by the Diversity Affairs committee that will read, “What is oppression?”

Visitors can view the poster while entering the museum.

“We feel that it is our job to provoke thought and discussion,” said Tori Frazier, chair of Diversity Affairs, about the poster.

Frazier, who expressed the committee’s support for the museum, said it will not have a display.

“We did, as an organization, did not feel that it was fair for a student representative body to decide on a group that was oppressed,” she said.

Some additional displays, on which students and organizations worked, will feature will be interactive through the use of films.

One interactive oppression exhibit is ableism. This display, presented by Lincoln Hall, will challenge students to think about the difficulties people with disabilities face.

Students and organizations coordinated the self-guided tour.

“I think it’s a great way to learn about what (students’) peers are passionate about,” Passananti said. “The students involved have put in a lot of work.”

The museum will begin at 7 p.m. today in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Grand Ballroom. The event will close at 9 p.m. It will continue Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and again Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“I encourage all students to come,” Passananti said.