Secrets more often than not remain secrets forever.  People give a million reasons as to why they should remain unknown, but the UIS Women’s Center is fighting to change the norm and allow students and staff to step outside of their enclosed boundaries.

The idea this semester is to give students and staff the liberty to say what they want without revealing their identity, thus the name, “Secret Journal Wall.” Anyone on campus can submit a secret into any of the drop boxes located around campus. Boxes are in Lincoln Residence Hall, Founders Residence Hall, and in SLB.

In 2008, SAC held a similar event with drop boxes across campus.  However, instead of a wall they had an open house to reveal the secrets. They collected about 50 secrets within the timespan of one week. Relative to the amount of time that they had given the project, they were successful. Their idea, just like the Women’s Center, stemmed from Frank Warren’s “Post Secret.”

“Personally, I think it’s really liberating to tell a secret,” admitted Bridget Maloni, a senior history major. Maloni works in the Women’s Center and was an intricate part in making this event become a reality.

“We want people to be able to tell their story without… everyone knowing [who they are],” Olivia Sykes said, a junior legal studies major who also works for the Women’s Center.

Katie Reynolds, a sophomore history major and Women’s Center student worker, said that an event like this was tested in the dorms, but it was unsuccessful.  According to Reynolds, Liz Steinborn had a lot to do with the planning of this event. Because she had done this at her previous school, she knew how to properly advertise and get this event off the ground and make it happen. If this event goes well this semester they, as a team, are working out plans to make this event become annual.

The Women’s Center employees are not only there to make sure this event is a successful as can be; they also are there to participate. Each one of the employees had submitted a secret of their own and posted it on the wall.

Several students on campus have been giving positive feedback about the “Secret Journal Wall.” Some of the students admitted to not submitting a secret, but plan to sometime soon.

Grace Latimore, a freshman English major said she thinks this event will be a success. “If we can make this campus community a more open one where we have less secrets… [It] is a good thing especially for the women here on campus.”

Because in the end, “We all have a secret, we just have to find it,” said Daniel Owusu Bempah, freshman computer science major.