Members of Washington University for Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity,carried an 8-foot tall black ball and chain around campus this weekend to raise awareness of the burden of student debt on college students and the economy.

Washington University for Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity (WU/FUSED) created the performance art piece to represent the $1.4 trillion of student debt in the United States.

The piece, meant to bring this issue into the public eye during the time of the debate, attracted much attention from the student body and media since its unveiling Thursday.

Freshman Rachel Hellman, who tended to the installation prior to Sunday’s debate, expressed that the movement intends to be nonpartisan. She said that the goal of the installation was to continue dialogue on the issue and bring it to the attention of the political climate in the weeks before the election.

“We’ve talked to people who are in their 50s and 60s and still have their student loan debt, so it’s something that is really a pressing issue and should be addressed by both [of] the candidates, and we hope to see their take on it in the coming weeks,” Hellman said.

Hellman also believes that, in order for college students to make a difference nationally, they must work together to speak about the issues important to them.

“I think we do—if we’re able to stand together and speak about the issues we have together versus struggling alone, we can make a big difference because there’s actually a statistic that, if all college students vote, we can decide the election. And in that way we have the biggest voice if we stand together,” Hellman said.