A group of Penn State students are aiming to make a loud statement by remaining completely silent today.

More than 320 student volunteers from various student groups have pledged to keep quiet from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. during Penn State's third annual Day of Silence.

The event aims to draw attention to oppression and the silencing effect that it has on many minority groups.

Off-Campus Student Union President Ryan Bennington said that he feels that this silence is an effective way to protest.

"So often [in protests] you only hear barking, yelling and demanding," he said. "This event demonstrates solidarity while still showing the strong impact. It gives a real face to the numbers and statistics."

Event participants want to send the theme's message -- "Challenge the Silence. We all Share the Struggle." to the rest of the campus.

"People just need to come together and realize that this affects everyone and we all need to come together," said Kelly Federico, PSU Day of Silence public relations chairwoman.

Jenny Difilippo (senior-elementary education) made the point that by remaining silent for eight hours, participants show that silence has a negative impact on the Penn State community.

"A lot of people become confused when a protest of silence is activism against silence," she said.

"I hope this draws attention to the severe problem [of silencing oppression]," Difilippo said.

The Day of Silence will include a silent march and three silent demonstrations.

Those will take place at 1 p.m. at Old Main, at 3 p.m. at the Information Sciences and Technology patio, and at 4 p.m. outside the Palmer Art Museum.

A Break the Silence speak-out will be held at 6 tonight in the Kern Building lobby. There students will end their pledges of silence and reflect on the day's events.

Annika White (senior-public relations) plans to read her original poem at the speak-out.

She said that because she is member of a sorority, a racial minority and the lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender and allies community, she personally has felt oppressed.

"A lot of times people make it seem as if you must pick an identity," she said. "My poem came from that frustration of being told to choose."

Allies President Ed Rowe said he hopes that the event will emphasize the importance of all Penn State students' voices. "Folks who aren't involved will realize how valuable each voice in our community is," he said. "I hope it will make people wonder what other voices aren't being heard on a daily basis."

White referred to the childhood saying, "Sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you."

"Words do hurt," she said.

"What even hurts more is not being able to say the words that you want to say. Being forced to keep your silence -- nothing can come out of being silent except anger and frustration," White added.

Second-year participant Theresa Dougherty (senior-journalism) captured many participants' sentiments on diversity.

"It is really important for people to be able to say that Penn State is a place where they can be free and speak out for what they believe in," she said. "Creating a place where everyone belongs is the important thing."