What started off as a class project last fall has ended up as an ongoing effort to fix different issues on campus.

The class was given the task of creating a project that would bring attention to something on campus. Emily Ontis, a sophomore pre-nursing major, and said the class initially wanted to have an on-campus event where the stories of students would be read by the class.

Ontis said after figuring the event would be a lot to manage, the class considered the idea of having a Facebook page for anonymous voices to be heard. She said students who wanted their stories told both from the class and outside of it signed a confidentiality agreement to ensure the students would remain anonymous. This Facebook page is called Save Our Students.

“We wanted to know about the personal struggles that those around campus face, particularly from those people who hold positional powers over them and how they use power to further oppression,” Ontis said.

Ontis said one of the ongoing problems faced on campus was discrimination, which came from professors and the University Police Department. She also said she was surprised to hear that the UPD had caused some of those problems for students.

“There were so many about UPD that surprised me,” Ontis said. “These are things that I never encountered before, but I recognize that I have that place of privilege where I haven’t experienced those things, so I think that was really eye-opening.”

Jeannie Ludlow, the coordinator of the Women’s Studies Department, was the instructor of the class last fall. Octavia Williams, a junior accounting major, said the class size was around 20 students.

Williams said bringing awareness to the students about things happening on campus should push them to get involved. She said one focus was to get President David Glassman involved with knowing what different students encounter on campus.

“Without him we can’t make much of a change,” Williams said. “We need those big figures to solve an ongoing problem.”

Ontis said the project was needed because the whole campus can fall victim to privilege.

“Privilege creates this climate of hostility and this climate of inequality,” Ontis said. “Micro aggressions turn into this huge problem of people not being on equal footing.”

The page included entries from students along with a picture from the writer. Even with the class being over, they Facebook page will continue to be used.

“It starts with the students,” Williams said. “Everybody should be treated equally and this was us taking a stand.”

T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or tabutler@eiu.edu