Last Wednesday’s Names Program at the Northfield Campus was altered from past years to not include the controversial “open mic” confession time.

The “open mic” portion of the program was a combination of relatable and emotional, with students speaking in front of fellow peers to talk about their own experiences as an ally, bully, target, or aggressor.

The old format of the program divided the freshman class into two groups participating on different days. For the first half of the day, Names leaders talked about bullying and its effects. They returned to the auditorium for a wrap up of the day after lunch. This year’s program was cut in half, with no open mic time.

According to some faculty and program leaders, once the lessons of the day had worn off, students only remembered the “open mic” confessions, causing students who spoke to experience negative effects down the road. They also believed that some students weren’t going up to share with the right intentions, and that some shared stories that weren’t particularly relevant to the program.

However, without the “open mic” session, some freshmen thought the program lost some of its most interesting moments. “To be honest, I thought it was kind of boring,” freshman Maggie Blommer said.

One junior Names facilitator said, “People are split on whether “open mic” is a good idea. It can be a very liberating experience for someone to get up there and speak and let out something they were holding inside. However, there is also a risk factor and it is tricky to know just how much you should open up.”

According to facilitators, people in previous years have strayed from the topic of bullying and talked about other emotional experiences. “The coordinators of Names want the assembly to stay focused on the topic of bullying because that’s what the whole program is about,” said the facilitator.

A different Names facilitator said, “I think the ‘open mic’ part of Names has been very eye opening for the people in the audience. It was just a space where freshmen can share moments where they’ve taken the roles of the ally, target, bystander, or aggressor.”

“From what I saw today, the girls in the advisory I facilitated showed how meaningful it is to share those same stories to a smaller group and then have a chance to reflect on how to move forward,” said a facilitator.

The facilitator is hopeful about the future of Names. “Overall, I believe the changes to Names will have a more powerful impact on the Class of 2018,” said the facilitator.