Duke students may soon have the opportunity to bare their souls.
Frank Warren, the founder of the PostSecret Project, will speak at Page Auditorium Wednesday, March 18, said sophomore Will Benesh, chair of Duke University Union's Major Speakers committee.
The purpose of Warren's speech--and of PostSecret in general-is to bring awareness to certain issues that may be ignored or left unaddressed because of social stigma and norms, especially those that humans are typically ashamed or too embarrassed to admit, said DUU President Chamindra Goonewardene, a senior.
"I think it makes us examine a lot of things that tend to be brushed under the carpet, and I think it will improve the social atmosphere here at the University," he said. "The topics touched are very relevant and very important.... It's good to take a look at the things at Duke that don't necessarily get noticed."
For example, secrets frequently refer to eating disorders, self-harm or feelings of loneliness or rejection.
The project, created at the beginning of 2005, asks individuals from around the world to anonymously mail in personal secrets on a homemade postcard, according to the PostSecret community Web site. Some of these secrets are chosen to be posted on the Web site, which is updated each Sunday with new submissions, while others are selected for publication in PostSecret compilation books.
The ability to connect and identify with individual secrets-even without knowing the submitter's age, race, social class or location-is also an appealing aspect of the site, said Benesh, who said he has visited the site regularly for about eight months.
"The campaign can really represent our experience at Duke because there's such a variety of people's triumphs, sorrows, the fears they have, all these things they go through," he said. "It helps us through certain things if we know that other people are sharing our experiences."
Both Goonewardene and Benesh said there was a high level of interest in bringing Warren to campus, both among various campus organizations and individual students who contacted DUU to recommend Warren.
"I know a lot of people that know of the site, and a lot of people have asked me about him," Benesh said. "Several groups have contacted me and asked about him as well.... I think he's one of the most well-known bloggers in the U.S."
This speech will be unique compared to previous Major Speaker events, Goonewardene added.
"Frank Warren is a name that I've been hearing a lot in the past year or so. He's a really popular figure in the culture around here," he said. "It's going to be a different type of programming because it focuses on certain issues at Duke that we should all be aware of, and it's not just going to be about the speaker this time. There's going to be number of initiatives leading up to the actual speech."
One of these campus campaigns, "Duke Unmasked: What's Your Secret?", is a two-part initiative sponsored by the Honor Council, said junior Adam Hinnant, Honor Council secretary and treasurer.
Sophomore Jane Kim, a regular visitor to the PostSecret Web site, said she thought Warren's speech would appeal to many Duke students.
"I relate to secrets some of the time, but mostly, because I don't really have those secrets or those problems, it just makes me think about what I would do if I were in that situation," she said. "I think the coolest part of PostSecret is learning about empathy and community and finding connections, so I think Duke students would benefit from that."
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