The Office of Residential Life’s ISMs Project, an event where students present their interpretations of specific “isms” that affect or interest them, will be held on Nov. 18 in the Northwest Campus Auditorium.
“”˜Isms’ are philosophical, political or moral doctrines that represent ways in which oppression is manifested,” said third-year political science student Andrew Hattala, the spokesman for the ISMs Project.
Classism, cleanism and hip-hopism are examples given on the Office of Residential Life Web site.
Those selected to present on their “isms” are allowed to express their topics creatively through media such as artwork, dance, poetry and speech.
“We supply the space and the tools, but it’s up to the students to decide how they want to present their project,” Hattala said.
Individuals and groups of students submitted their ideas for “isms” they wanted to present. Applications were due Wednesday.
“The goal of the project is to educate the audience about each “˜ism’ and convey its importance from the presenter’s perspective,” Hattala said.
Hattala is responsible for helping to promote the ISMs Project.
“We’re trying to utilize as many media forms as possible to get the word out,” he said. “We’ve appealed to papers, invited people to join Facebook groups and put up posters and flyers in the residence halls.”
The event will start at 7 p.m. with a reception where previews of the selected “isms” and artwork to go along with each “ism” will be exhibited.
At 8 p.m., the “ism” presentations will begin.
A panel of five student and faculty judges will review the presentations. Awards and prizes will be given out afterward.
Shannon Finley, a fourth-year history and classical civilization student, has been involved with the ISMs Project for three years.
“The project gives students a platform where they can talk about the issues that affect them most,” Finley said.
Finley’s project on hairism, which focused on the stereotypes surrounding blondeness, won the Most Creative award last year.
This year she hopes to present on Barbieism.
“The project will focus on how Barbies create pressure to emulate a kind of perfect, cookie-cutter mold that barely any of us fits into,” Finley said.
“This influences how much makeup people buy and how much money they spend on clothes and plastic surgery. It can lead to eating disorders and poor body images.”
Last year’s event featured between six and eight “isms” and drew an audience of about 200 people, Finley said.