If you’ve recently used the bathroom in the Parker building, you may have come across a sticky note of hope on the mirror as you washed your hands. Imagine that you are at your breaking point, someone says exactly what you needed to hear, and you feel a sense of relief.
That exact feeling inspired Taylor Bertolini to establish a Campus Cursive chapter here at NSU. Campus Cursive is a branch of the More Love Letters organization that works to spread love around college campuses. Here on campus you can now look forward to receiving words of encouragement, at times you need them the most, in places you would never suspect.
More Love Letters, founded by Hannah Brencher, began in New York City as a one-woman initiative focused on spreading love and hope throughout her community. Brencher would write notes in a notepad that she often carried around and as she went about her daily routine to the library or the coffee shop, even a local grocery store, she would rip the notes out and leave her letters of love for someone to find.
Brencher’s notes became the talk of New York City and after blogging about supplying love letters to those in need, her organization, in a matter of a year, took off globally, and three years later stands as an international organization blessing people of all ages.
“Hannah talked to a lot of college students on her More love Letter’s blog which [I believe] is what lead to her creation of [the college extension], Campus Cursive,” said Taylor Bertolini, freshman environmental science major and founder of NSU’s Campus Cursive Chapter.
Bertolini, after seeing a friend post a love letter she found in Barnes & Noble, was curious about More Love Letters.
“Two years ago, after seeing [my friend’s] post on Instagram, I went on the More Love Letters website and immediately said to myself that this is something I want to do one day,” Bertolini said.
After graduating high school, Bertolini enrolled at NSU, hoping to bring More Love Letters to campus. She began filling out the paper work and eventually created an NSU Campus Cursive Chapter. However, because she finished the process in the middle of the term, the chapter will not be officially up and running until January.
“Although NSU does not allow new organizations to begin in the middle of the school year, it does not mean we cannot spread the love now,” Bertolini said.
Already, NSU’s Chapter has received so much love. Many of the letters found around campus are not even from Bertolini. Students have taken it upon themselves to join in the movement of love.
“Last weekend, I went back home, and all of my friends [at NSU] kept texting me and telling me that they were finding love letters all around campus and were convinced it was me,” Bertolini said. “But I didn’t leave any notes.”
Something as small as sticky note in the right moment on a wrong day can turn someone’s frown into a smile. Bertolini often promotes appreciating the little things.
“In college, it is so hard to have self-confidence every single day,” Bertolini said. “There’s students loans, jobs, classes, a social life and so many other factors that affect how you feel.”
Not only is Campus Cursive about spreading love and hope but also paying it forward. Bertolini said she hopes that when people receive a letter of love that they will write one back for someone else to see.
“You never know what a smile or note could mean to somebody,” Bertolini said. “So when you receive love, you should always try to give it back; it makes you feel good.”
Bertolini explained that people can look forward to love letter parties throughout the school year.
“One party to look forward to is the textbook party, which will be held before everyone has to turn in their textbooks for the term,” Bertolini said. “We will write love letters and stick them in the pages so that the next person to receive the book gets a love letter.”
Bertolini also hopes to partner with Starbucks for Valentine’s Day and give love letters with coffee so that no one goes without a Valentine.
“Once you know what the organization is all about, you can’t help but fall in love with it,” Bertolini said. “It makes me happy seeing others happy at the thought of spreading love, the chain reaction [of this club] is going to be amazing.”
After January, Campus Cursive meetings will be held bi-monthly on Thursdays from 12 to 1 p.m. The location is undecided, and meeting attendance is not mandatory. The only mandatory requirement to join this club is to remember to spread the love. If you’d like to join the club in January, it will be up on Orgsync, and you can join online. Board member positions will also be discussed in January at the first few meetings.
Students can like and friend Campus Cursive on Facebook at CampusCursive@NSU to stay informed about their upcoming events.
“The best part about NSU is that we have so many commuter students; we can spread love amongst the campus, and those students who commute will help spread the love all over,” said Bertolini. “It’s more than just spreading the love on campus.”
For more information on the More Love Letters organization, visit http://www.moreloveletters.com.
If you would like to find out more information on NSU’s Campus Cursive chapter, contact Bertolini at tb1369@nova.edu or the faculty adviser Molly Scanlon at mscanlon@nova.edu.
