Service, inclusiveness and social responsibility are all part of Gannon University’s mission. Each appears in Gannon’s mission statement and there’s even a department – the Center for Social Concerns – dedicated to these goals. And in the month of April, two campus groups – Active Minds and Love is for Everyone (LIFE) – are hosting events with these ideas in mind.
Active Minds is a national mental health organization for college campuses. Founded in 2003, Active Minds aims to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and to promote discussion about it. In order to promote this mission, as well as Gannon’s missions of social responsibility and inclusiveness, Gannon’s chapter of Active Minds is hosting an event called PostSecretU through May 10.

Based on PostSecret, a social experiment in which people anonymously submit postcards with their secrets on them, Gannon students have been submitting their own secrets for the next two weeks to be displayed in the Schuster Art Gallery, Waldron Campus Center, and Palumbo Academic Center beginning April 22. Jenna Dunning, president of Active Minds at Gannon said she hopes that, “Students not only have fun creating their postcard but also have a sense of relief after submitting their secret.” Under Dunning’s leadership, the chapter earned a five-star rating – the highest honor a chapter can receive from Active Minds.

LIFE is a campus ministry group dedicated to spreading the message that love is for everyone by providing fellowship for all and by educating others about the LGBT community. For this reason, LIFE held a week of educational events, culminating in the Day of Silence on April 19.

The Day of Silence is a nationwide event during which students take a vow of silence to bring attention to bullying and harassment. LIFE is encouraging students to take their own vow of silence or wear blue and educate others about the day. Educational events during the week included a talk on suicide, alumna testimony and student panel.

Both events are educational, inspirational and a great example of the mission that Gannon demonstrates every day.