Frank Warren, creator of the popular Web site PostSecret and author of the PostSecret books, will be speaking on the University’s campus Nov. 20.
PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard, according to PostSecret.com.
Colorado Robertson, Student Government president, said Warren will also do a book signing and exhibit his postcards in the Student Union Art Gallery.
Robertson said University students will also have a chance to create and display postcards.
“We’ll display some of Frank [Warren’s] postcards along with LSU students’ postcards,” Robertson said. “So if anyone has a secret, they can submit them to the gallery for people to come look at.”
Robertson said the postcard secrets will be displayed for a month leading up to Warren’s speech.
SG partnered with the Union Program Council to bring Warren to the University.
Jacob Brumfield, associate director of Campus Life, said the event is sponsored by the Ideas and Issues Committee.
“Frank [Warren] addresses the hidden thoughts, fears, concerns and joys that people have,” Brumfield said. “When people enter college, they’re working through things and need to share things. As people share, they see they’re not alone.”
Brumfield said the event will give the University the ability to tap into the needs of the students.
“It’s not just about his appearance,” Brumfield said. “It’s about getting the information from the students, to see what they’re experiencing and what they need, and showing them what resources we have for them at LSU.”
Warren will appear in the Union’s ballroom as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from Nov. 17 to 21.
The Mental Health Department and Student Health Advocacy Group will be participating in the five-day event to shine light on the importance of mental health.
The Mental Health Awareness Week stems from SG’s creation of three new committees to focus on mental health, lighting and voter registration.
Robertson said he preferred to call these committees “working groups” because they are different than past committees.
“With these working groups, instead of us trying to play the middle man between everybody, our goal is to get everybody to the table,” Robertson said. “It’s not a committee about discussing ideas and issues. It’s about how do you get things done.”
The goal for the voter registration committee is to register 2,000 students to vote by Sept. 30, according to Robertson.
Robertson said SG will be working with the Riley Center for Media and Public Affairs, Project Go, College Democrats, College Republicans, Sponsored Programs Information Network and the Black Student Union.
Robertson said there will be voter registration tables in Free Speech Alley and at football games.
“Hopefully, we’ll have [separate] competitions between residence halls and Greek houses for getting the most people registered,” Robertson said. “There will also be ‘Political Tuesdays’ in the Holliday Forum of the Journalism building. They’ll include different topics and speakers.”
Robertson said the committee is hoping to host debates from Senate and Congressional candidates.
The newly-formed lighting committee is working to improve on-campus lighting while simultaneously decreasing energy use.
“We’re paying to have campus lit as well as it is at night, which is well above standards,” Robertson said. “But when one place is over-lit, another place will be under-lit, almost dark.”
Robertson said the committee will be working with student organizations whose members are frequently on campus at night.