The Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Central Michigan University hosted its first Conversations that Matter this September 28 from 5-7 p.m. at the Powers Ballroom.

The event was open to students, faculty, members of the community, and anyone who wanted to participate. Attendees ate dinner and discussed controversial topics in response to the question “Has education become political?”

Counseling, Educational Leadership, and Higher Education faculty Georgina Wilson facilitated the event and gave a brief presentation on how politics is involved in education in ways that are initially unnoticed. We talked about the importance of having these difficult conversations and said we need to talk more about these topics to make our community better.

“One of the biggest missing elements around important conversations and topics that plague our society right now is the lack of dialogue,” Wilson said. We turn against others and look at them in such horrible terms that we don’t even think they deserve dialogue. This fails to produce a common solution where dialogue is the only solution. ”

Attendees were asked three questions to discuss at the table.

What has shaped your views on inclusivity as part of the educational experience over the years? How do you shape your relationship to issues with your identity (age, race, ethnicity, gender, academic field or job, responsibilities, religion, hometown, etc.)?

Many participants said they came from small communities and were protected to the point that they had limited opinions about things like political status and diversity.

“I actually remember how diverse my school was. Out of every 100 students in my class, 1 was black,” said Aspen Smith, a Shepherd third grader studying secondary education. said.

Some students say that being part of the CMU community has helped them experience other cultures and see other perspectives. They said this was not what they were told to believe while living in their small town, but gave them the opportunity to decide what to believe.

Bryan Whitledge, archivist of university digital records at the Clark Historical Library, said, “When I was a kid, my mom was in college and she was in engineering.

“Many of her professors were from the Middle East, so when she took me to college when I was little, I was around that diverse group of people. She was older.” I was able to talk to professors much better than she could because I was a colleague, so I was taught to be curious from an early age.”

As a member of the CMU community, what are the challenges in solving this problem? What are the barriers and opportunities for constructive discussion and policy regarding K-12 education in general and local communities like Mt. Pleasant in particular? ?

Many groups argued that a common barrier in communities is adaptability. Many of the participants are afraid to speak up and be different from what is thought of as social norms, so instead they conform and banish their hatred rather than solve the problems facing society. produce.

“Everything is polarizing, especially on social media,” says Sarah Gillette, a freshman studying environmental science.

“You are forced to pick one side and follow it,” she said.

Attendees said that this conformity precludes the means and methods of talking about pressing issues, making them increasingly difficult for those seeking to resolve them.

“University is very siloed and we spend a lot of time in the office researching and teaching, so we don’t always get the chance to go out and meet new people from other professions and majors.” says Jeff. Fisher, a faculty member of the Allen Foundation Culinary Nutrition Center, said:

“We don’t have many opportunities to talk about these issues, so I think the fact is that there is no space where children our age can come together and discuss these issues. Where do we stand?” No one really knows if there are.

As our communities, states, and nations continue to have public discussions about publicly funded education, what do you hope will happen, or what considerations do you think are important to consider? What is there that we haven’t talked about yet that you’d like to add?

Many groups have discussed how much change is needed, but for that people need to be educated and aware of what is happening.

“I think we need to continue to raise awareness and drive these changes,” said Jack Day, a professor of human development and family studies.

“It’s like a pendulum going back and forth between talking about these issues and not talking about them.”

At the end of the event, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire indicating how valuable the experience was to them.