Do you want to express how happy you are at AIC?

Or do you have something to say to President Vince Maniaci and the administration here on campus?

Do you have thoughts on the new dining commons? Do you want to complain about the dorms?

Have a message to pass along to your professors? Or do you have any suggestions to pass along to the athletic department?

Well, look no further, because AIC’s P.R.I.D.E. organization has your back with a creative solution.

P.R.I.D.E. – which stands for Persons Ready In Defense of Ebony – has been working hard in planning a “Speak Out” demonstration all around campus, in order to encourage students to speak their mind on their experiences at AIC.

Crystal Mallett, a senior at AIC, is the president of P.R.I.D.E. According to Mallett, the Speak Out is the first time the club has ran an event like this.

“We are holding a ‘Speak Out’ where we will be setting up whiteboards in various locations on campus, for students to come and write down their thoughts and opinions on what they’ve experienced on campus or what they’d like to see changed,” explained Mallett.

“The whiteboards will be up for a week, starting on Monday the 18^th,” she said.

Clearly excited about the organization’s unique method of getting students to speak out on campus, Mallett said that the whiteboards – five of them in total – will be scattered around the school and the common theme of each will be for students to “speak your mind.”

Each whiteboard will read “Dear ….,” addressed to a different person or department depending on where the whiteboard is stationed. “Let your voice be heard!” is written on the board in bold letters. The boards state that “the information you provide will be collected and shared with AIC administration.”

Of course, Mallett wants to keep this civil, too – vulgar and offensive language will be erased, as stated on each board.

Students are encouraged to participate if they come across one of the whiteboards in their travels around campus. Mallett made sure to get the point across that the content of the whiteboards will not go unheard.

“We [P.R.I.D.E.] have scheduled a meeting with Vince [Maniaci] once we’re done with the whiteboards,” Mallett said. “All the information that we gather from the boards will be given to him, so your voice will be heard.”

The five whiteboards around the campus can be found at the following locations:

• The Quad – This whiteboard will read “Dear President.” Aside from the information on the board being passed along to Maniaci after the Speak Out week concludes, Maniaci will likely see students writing their thoughts when he is out for his Friday morning football toss.
• The lobby of the Hive – “Dear Residence Life.” This whiteboard will give those who live on campus the chance to speak their minds on the dorms.
• The library – “Dear professors.” Feel free to leave a nice note on your favorite professor here, if you choose.
• The dining commons lobby – “Dear DC staff.” Mallett said that suggestions and thoughts on the new dining commons (and the food) can be left here.
• The athletic complex – “Dear athletic staff.” This whiteboard will allow student-athletes the opportunity to share their thoughts on the fields, the locker rooms, or whatever else comes to mind.

Whether you have constructive criticism or just want to give a shout out as to how happy you are on campus, the whiteboards are your destination. The boards were wheeled out to their various locations on Monday morning, and quickly became filled with comments from passersby.

Again, the whiteboards will be in place for about a week before P.R.I.D.E. takes them down and passes them along to the higher-ups, so you’ll have plenty of time to throw a message on any of the five boards you come across.  And stay tuned for reaction and feedback from the AIC administration!