Sacred Heart University’s Office for Inclusive Excellence has put together a series of events to help promote civil, inclusive discourse regarding the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election.
The first event, titled “Strategies for Fostering Inclusive Conversations at Election Time,” took place on Oct. 30 in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. It was moderated by Dr. Freda Grant, Director of Institutional Equity Compliance and Support & ADA 504 Coordinator, and Dr. Beth Luoma, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.
“The goal of today is not to debate but to engage in conversation. Our goals for today are to build a community where all voices can be heard, foster critical thinking and create spaces to address concerns,” said Grant.
The Chapel of the Holy Spirit where the ‘Strategies for Fostering
Inclusive Conversations During the Election’ was held.
Daniel Passapera, Sacred Heart University
The event was open to all members of the SHU community and was largely attended by faculty. It focused less on the politics surrounding the election and more on the importance of how to engage in safe and inclusive discourse.
To begin, Luoma had each participant find a partner to partake in an exercise with. One partner would speak for one minute straight, while the other partner would listen but not respond.
“We listen to understand, not to respond,” said Luoma.
Participants expressed their struggle to stay quiet and not respond for the entire minute.
“We need to take time to intentionally reflect to understand our positionalities, identities, and perspectives so that we can more fully engage with and understand one another in our conversations,” Luoma said.
Maurice Nelson, SHU’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, overheard a heated political debate between two students and decided not to interrupt.
“We can disagree; we should not be disagreeable,” said Nelson.
During the event, Luoma described what makes up an inclusive conversation: listening, reflecting and then responding.
“While there may be things in my life I regret saying, there are very few things I regret asking,” Luoma said.
“The world needs more questions and fewer assumptions right now. We come to a deeper place of understanding when we are willing to get curious and ask questions, such as ‘Can you say more about that?’ ‘Why is that important to you?’ ‘What events or people in your life helped inform your perspective?’” Luoma said. “Questions help peel back the layers of the onion, revealing the complexity of our life experiences that inform the political stances we take.”
The timing of the presidential election posed an appropriate time to host this series of events, but inclusive conversation transcends political conversation, organizers said.
“During our community discussion, attendees emphasized seeing each other as humans first, and listening for understanding, not just to respond,” said Luoma. “I hope students find courage to share their views from knowing that Sacred Heart upholds such values, and that they are inspired to promote these values across the university, whether in the classroom, on an athletic team, in a student organization, or in the dorm.”
“I feel that an event like this promotes respectful and progressive conversation that allows people to share their ideas, while also hearing and opposing ideas and opinions,” said sophomore Nic Elsass. “I think this is beneficial because everyone has such polarizing opinions nowadays, we often don’t listen to others.”
There are two more community discussion events scheduled for Nov. 13 and Nov. 14. On Nov. 13, “Beyond the Ballot: A Community Debrief” will be held in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit from 12:30-2 p.m. On Nov. 14, “Election Reflections: A Virtual Community Debrief” will be held on Zoom from 1-2 p.m.
For more information, reach out to the Office for Inclusive Excellence.
