The Positive Post-it Day is set to return to Appalachian State University for the second time on Feb. 22.
The event is sponsored by the Student Government Association, the Office of the Dean of Students, University Admissions, the Office of Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving, the Appalachian Cheerleading Team and many more, as well as by individual donations and volunteering.
There will be four boards throughout campus located at Crossroads, Wired Scholar, Roess Dining Hall and Trivette Dining Hall with Post-its hot glued onto the board so that people can just reach out and write a note without having to provide their own Post-its.
Samantha Bender, junior marketing major, is behind the Positive Post-It Day, which was held for the first time on Feb. 9, 2015 following the numerous student deaths that occurred on campus.
“It was started last year because there was just a lot going on on our campus,” Bender said. “I know the Dean of Students really well so I just reached out to him and said ‘What can we do about this?’ I wished we could give notes to everyone, but that just didn’t seem feasible. When the Post-it Note idea stuck in my head I just thought it was so beautiful in it’s own simple way.”
The event has its own Facebook page, which has been shared with over 1,500 people. Of that, over 700 people have said they are either going or are interested in participating.
“One thing I do want to emphasize is that even though this event is in honor of the deaths on campus last year, I don’t want that to be what this is reflecting this year,” Bender said. “Some people are freshmen this year and I don’t want them to have that view in their head that this is what this is all about.”
Anthony Morlacci, senior appropriate technology major, said he was dealing with a personal issue the weekend before the event last year. When he saw the Post-its on campus, he decided to participate and said he remembers going from completely upset to much more hopeful.
“I think the idea behind the event is very important and very nice because we all are going through our own struggles,” Morlacci said. “With this positive support and caring words, this can change many people’s days. These aren’t about people dying, not at all the reason this is done. This is about making everyone feel important and giving a positive environment.”
Last year, Bender said she planned the event on her own and was so passionate that she went out and spent about $75 on supplies for the event, although she was unsure whether it would be successful or not.
“I was really nervous when I did it last year because I put these boards throughout campus and then I had class all morning so I was thinking I might go out there and there would be no Post-it Notes anywhere, that would be so embarrassing,” Bender said.
Bender said it is impossible for her to calculate how many Post-it Notes were spread throughout campus last year. The Post-it event started on Monday and continued throughout the rest of the week. On the Thursday of that week alone she collected about 300 Post-its.
“Not knowing the success of it, I truly thought there may have been 300 Post-its around campus and that maybe those would have stayed there, but I didn’t think it would be such a movement,” Bender said.
Bender said one of her favorite notes reads: “When I first saw these I was skeptical. How can someone tell me I’m beautiful if they don’t even know me? But the fact of the matter is that each one of these sticky notes was written by someone who doesn’t need to know you to know that they want you to be happy. There is still good in the world.”
“I just thought that person totally got it,” Bender said. “We don’t need to know you to know that you’re worth something.”
Campus Cursive, a new club on campus that works to spread love and reach students through encouraging words, is helping to sponsor the event by donating Post-its. The event’s mission is in line with that of the club, as they aim to remind people of their value and to bring the community together, Emily Bradley, senior communication, advertising major and co-founder of Campus Cursive, said.
“Life is difficult and messy and [it] can sometimes be heartbreaking,” Bradley said. “People carry around their struggles and hide them from the world because this is what society tells them to do. Random acts of kindness are a simple way to let people know that they are loved and are not alone. It’s a beautiful thing when your words or actions have an impact on someone.”
Bender said she would like for the event to become continue and become tradition even after she graduates. Depending on the outcome of this year’s event, she hopes to find someone passionate enough who she can trust and pass the project down to.
“I think that if you write a post it you don’t know who you’re affecting,” Bender said. “I’ve had people contact me telling me that they had just bombed an interview, that people’s family members have passed away and that this event really helped them and that’s what fueled me this year. I knew this wasn’t just something pretty on campus, that it’s meaningful. Whether it’s to 5 people on campus or 500, I’ll never know but I know that it worked. If you pass one of these boards, write something that you believe is true to this campus.”
Story by Chamian Cruz, News Reporter