HEART, a student organization, helps students develop better relationships with one another and the world around them, senior human services major Erica Weaver said.
“It stands for Healthy Environment and Relationship Task Force, so it’s actually HEART Force,” she said. “In the past it was an organization for advocating healthy environments and relationships, but it died down.”
Weaver said HEART is being brought back this year because some students felt it was worth it.
“It’s been an idea in a couple of people’s minds to bring a peace organization,” she said. “We thought it would be a good idea to have some consistency in a peace organization using HEART.”
Junior Jake McMillian said that having the organization on campus should be helpful to students, as well as the whole school.
“Particularly as we’re growing as a university it helps in the real world, being able to have respect for any kind of relationships,” he said.
He said also that it helps in situations where members of a group, like a sports team, don’t get along.
“Anything that helps build healthy relationships is beneficial to campus,” he said.
Weaver said that the goal for this group is to help people understand each other and make our relationships better.
“We hope people will be more educated, from students, staff and the community,” she said. “We want people to know how to make relationships better, like knowing what domestic abuse is, or knowing what a recycling bin is.”
Junior Cody Rhyne said that the group should be beneficial to the environment, as well as the university.
“I think this would be great,” he said. “It’s always good to get students involved in cleaning up the community, and I think it also gives the school a good image.”
Weaver is currently encouraging students to join. The group meets at noon on Fridays.
“We need more people to be involved in this organization,” she said. “We’d love to hear new ideas.”