The Writings on the Wall project has been an idea in the works since last year, according to Bryan Lochan who is one of the lead enforcers of the project. The idea for the project began when Brophy and McNerney Halls started having discussions about stereotypes and diversity.
The goal of this project is to help make the Ferris State campus a more accepting place and to get students to look past stereotypes of all kinds. Students and organizations on campus were encouraged to participate in the creation of the wall and were given the opportunity to paint hateful, discriminatory, and racial slurs, sayings, and stereotypes onto the bricks that would be used in the construction of the wall.
Lochan said, “Many students who participated in painting the bricks during our quad days responded well to the program.”
Students on campus had different reactions to seeing the wall completely constructed.
Jerome Jones, freshman in the nursing program, said, “I use some of these words when I’m joking around with my friends, but I can see how some people would take offense to them.”
Jones went on to say, “It’s really crazy that there are so many offensive names and sayings that people can come up with.”
Christian Drake, freshman in the business administration program, said, “I didn’t even know that some people would take offense to some of these words.”
Samantha Ensley, sophomore in the respiratory care program, said, “I think it’s a very constructive project, but it’s disappointing that some people actually think it’s funny.”
Lochan said that organizations such as the Muslim Student Organization, the DSAGA, the National Residence Hall Honorary, the O.M.S.S and many others contributed a vast amount of help to the project.
The wall is scheduled to be torn down at 12:00 p.m. on Oct. 22 A discussion concerning hate on campus and how to make the campus more inclusive will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Rankin Center Dome Room.