by Shannon Kelly ’26 on February 5, 2026
News
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy Lab Fellows Isabelle Camoin ’26 and Shannon Kelly ’26 hosted a community dinner with various dialogue stakeholders on campus. Representatives from several clubs and organizations on campus, including Residence Life, BMSA, BOP, Civic Engagement Taskforce, SHEPARD, ECOPC, The Cowl, NERLab, Her Campus, PIRC, DID Lab, and others, were present at the discussion.
Members from the same organizations and clubs were assigned to different tables before engaging in conversation. The hope with this was that people would become familiar with other individuals on campus whom they might not have known previously. We started out with a community agreement, which is a practice that had been introduced to us by Dr. Nick Longo, co-director of the DID Lab. Introductions were held, and the hosts led with the question, “Why did you agree to come to the dinner?” to gauge people’s motivations and what they sought to get out of the conversation. There were five round tables, and most questions posed started off in a small-group discussion, then a few people from each table shared out to the larger group. Many people shared that they appreciated the invitation, cited their pre-existing relationships with others in the room, and expressed their hope to discuss the dialogic atmosphere on campus.
The two questions that we initially posed were, “How have you experienced civil discourse on campus in your daily interactions with others?” and “How do you specifically experience civil discourse in the clubs and organizations that you are a part of?” In regards to the first question, some people spoke of engaging in conversation with their friends, but many noted that they felt their pre-existing views were often affirmed, rather than challenged, in these daily conversations. Some also spoke to the importance of starting a conversation through recognizing a common ground between participants. The importance of friendship, and trust more generally, was also a focus in the conversation. Many mentioned that they felt that they participated in conversations in silos, which didn’t allow for greater conversation to be had with others.
The other two questions that we posed were, “How can we make sure the meaningful conversations we are having continue? What is working in your club or organization?” and, “Should we be reaching those who have not yet engaged in meaningful dialogue? How can we do that?” Several practices were viewed as currently working on campus. This included office hours for SHEPARD, DEI-centered dialogue for BOP, having a shared office for Student Congress, reaching out to professors, and taking the time to personally invite others to events. In terms of things that were not working, knowing what is going on within various clubs/organizations, and a general lack of engagement from others on campus who are not as involved in on-campus activities was brought up. When brainstorming how to move forward, many said that we should be prioritizing safe spaces, advocating for others, using the clubs that we are a part of as a force for good, reaching out to get others involved, and prioritizing listening to different viewpoints were all brought up.
Several students from The Cowl expressed difficulty in trying to get students with conservative viewpoints to join the newspaper. They expressed their efforts to get others involved through hosting an open house and repeatedly posting on their social media that they were looking for writers of varying opinions for each section. Throughout the discussion, it was clear that there was recognition of the need for change and more open dialogue on campus. Someone also brought up the role that technology plays in our everyday interactions, as well as the need to bridge the gap between solely communicating online versus in person, and getting more people willing to engage in civil discourse in person was emphasized.
When sharing out with the larger groups, one person said that, “No one wants to see the world crumble.” This was an important basis to start off a conversation with, as it creates common ground with people who may share differing viewpoints and perspectives. This discussion was the first part of an initiative entitled the “Beyond the Walls” series, which seeks to continue the conversation that the DID Walls allow others to engage in. DID Walls can be found across campus in the Feinstein Academic Center, Slavin Center, Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences, Science Complex, and Moore Hall. We look forward to continuing these conversations in the future.