All my hard work down the drain. Exactly a year ago I spent countless hours perfecting my flyers to promote CLC’s scholars program.

Despite my efforts, Public Relations took down the flyers. This fueled something in me. What originally started as a multi-modal project became my passion project.

Other organizations and clubs came forward about their experiences promoting their events. I quickly realized I was not alone. They all shared the same stance about having difficulty promoting events because of how restrictive the college has been. Often they have found themselves struggling with engagement and participation. We are limited to only the student commons and certain areas that are barely visible.

The multiple advisers of clubs who I have spoken with have stated that in the past they were able to reach large audiences because they were able to promote around campus but now attendance has shifted exponentially for the worse. When I learned of this policy I couldn’t help but feel upset. Why would CLC deny its students opportunities? Why was CLC adapting this corporate aesthetic?

What I define as the corporate aesthetic is a type of branding that is meant to confine how one portrays and acts to appeal to a certain group of people. Although I believe that the corporate aesthetic can be appropriate for some environments, I do not feel that a college is one of them.

When visiting other universities I have noticed that they often have posters all over campus displaying their upcoming events which I feel is more crucial to evoking that sense of community. Our campus has lost our sense of community.

After an SGA meeting last semester, I approached President Suddick and spoke to her about my personal experience with the scholars program posters. Her response was that the posters made the campus look “cluttered” and it didn’t comply with the “CLC Aesthetic”.

One would think that the honors program and the student body would be a part of this so-called aesthetic.

This is a college, not a business. We are students, not customers. We are here to be educated not marketed to. This is the College of Lake County, not the Corporation of Lake County.

I urge the college to reconsider this policy as it has only had detrimental effects on the student body. As a result, I compiled a petition for the revival of the Neighborhood project.

In the past, SGA and administration were working on the project before it was put on hold. The neighborhood project is putting up bulletin boards around campus in designated areas for clubs and organizations to promote their events.

I will be presenting the petition to the forum with the executive board. The forum will be held on April 22 in the Auditorium from 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. I implore all of you to use your voices and join us at the forum.

This forum is a safe space meant for students to voice their concerns because, at the end of the day, we are the tile stones that make up CLC. We are stronger together and I encourage everyone to attend as this is our future.

Let’s clutter the forum with students!