Three girls from the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance worked quickly to set up two small green tents rented from ISU recreation services before the sun set Tuesday evening during the Sleepout for Equality.

Fifteen minutes and six dirty hands later, the tents were erected and the students gathered were ready to tackle inequalities of the nation, state and campus.

“People think our society is evolved, but there are dark undertones; inequality still exists,” said Sarah Meylor, FMLA member and junior in political science.

The purpose of the sleepout is to make a statement to the community and raise awareness of unequal treatment, she said.

Nikki Feuerstein, FMLA vice president, said many student religious, political and activist groups were invited to the camp out. As the evening progressed, students from FMLA, Time for Peace, the ISU Atheist and Agnostic Society, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Ally Alliance and Warm Fuzzies joined the event. More than 10 students had gathered by 8:30 p.m.

The largest focus of the evening was a Coalition Building, which will build a system of community between student activist groups. The structure would allow for groups to join forces and stay informed of the others’ actions, she said.

“We want to help create an environment where all people feel equal,” Feuerstein said.

Racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism and all the other -isms were all fair game for conversation, said Feuerstein, sophomore in women’s studies.

Will Christopher, president of the Atheist and Agnostic Society, said he was looking forward to frisbee, soccer and decent conversations. “It’s nice to consider perspectives you haven’t ever thought of before,” he said.

Christopher, senior in biophysics, said he researched religion and government and was prepared to share what he had found. To support their positions, other students researched topics such as medicalization of women’s health and fair trade, he said.