Free Expression Fellows Pursue Common Ground

Classes should be ungraded. PETA is a front for the meat lobbyists. Social media should be banned for people under 25 and over 50.

These are just a few of the topics discussed at the “Disagree with a Professor” event hosted by the Civility Initiative Free Expression Fellows February 24.

“Our goal is to get someone to understand another’s position,” says Della Covone, a Free Expression Fellow. “We want people who disagree to find common ground.”

The Civility Initiative promotes healthy conflict and dialogue across differences. When Michael Lee, the initiative’s director and a professor of communication, launched the program, he realized that engaging students in dialogues and debates requires a peer-to-peer approach.

“Sometimes communities don’t trust one another, and bridging the trust gap requires dialogue: letting go of winning, active listening, humanizing disagreement for the sake of understanding each other,” he says. “But sometimes communities need to make decisions about what’s true or what’s probably true, and that requires constructive debate about facts, values and policies.”

The Civility Initiative promotes debate and dialogue through its many public and campus-facing speaker events and workshops as well as its podcast, When We Disagree, which shares powerful stories about arguments, conflicts and disagreements.

RELATED: Listen to the Free Expression Fellows on the Speaking of … College of Charleston podcast!

Moved by Lee’s efforts, John Cooper and Lynne Eickholt, who had been active in the debate club at their alma mater, Wake Forest University, decided to invest in the Civility Initiative.

“Over our careers, we have learned that debating translates to some degree to an organization’s setting, but not always in a positive way,” says Cooper. “We have come to appreciate dialogue and common ground. It’s the leaning in that excites us.”

Leaning into the Conversation

With Cooper and Eickholt’s support, Lee created the Free Expression Fellows pilot program and provided a merit award for 11 fellows to develop and share a program focused on finding common ground through discourse.

One fellow, Adi Sowders, a political science and international studies double major, appreciates the motivation and messaging of the Civility Initiative.

“When considering the polarization in the U.S., I sympathize with students who are reluctant to express their thoughts,” says Sowders, who aims to work in the federal government and ultimately at a U.S. embassy. “The Civility Initiative helps mitigate the anxiety of standing up for what you believe in by providing a welcome environment for contentious conversations.

“The fellowship has certainly enhanced my professional skills, including teamwork, collaboration, strategy and action,” she adds. “Being around like-minded overachievers with too much on their plate has been inspiring and motivating. It has certainly increased my confidence.”

“The program shows how the College can increasingly be part of the national conversation, not just the region,” he says.

Finding Your Voice

Sowders and two other fellows, Allie Johnson and Circi Tchang, attended a conference on dialogue and free speech at the University of Delaware, where they discovered they were not alone: The reluctance of students to speak their mind was a challenge at all the universities, from in the classroom to at organized events.

“We were surrounded by students from across the country who shared what’s working and what’s not,” says Sowders. “We came back with a wealth of ideas that we planned to incorporate into programs for the spring semester, like ‘Disagree with a Professor.’”

For Covone, a sociology major, the Civility Initiative tick a lot of boxes. She wanted a way to get more involved with students, be involved in a student-led organization and make a meaningful impact through student outreach.

“People aren’t talking on campus, and I wanted to make them aware that there is a safe outlet where they can voice their ideas,” explains Covone, who plans to get her master’s in sociology. “In my classes, no one wants to talk about what could be perceived as controversial. A lot of it has to do with our ‘cancel culture’ on social media, where if someone does something contentious, they may get ‘cancelled.’”

To provide students with a safe space to move out of their comfort zone, the fellows regularly table around campus.

“I was nervous to start tabling and doing student outreach, but I had a lot of positive support; surprisingly, people were curious and wanted to learn more,” says Covone. “People like that we are not trying to get agreement, but instead are striving for understanding.”

Learning Through Listening

The fellows also participate in guest lectures on free speech, the most recent given by the president of Princeton University, Chris Eisgruber, who wrote Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right.

“The presentation from the Princeton president hit big issues on campuses head on,” says Eickholt. “It opened my eyes about what a university president has to do to enable freedom of speech. It gave me pause to consider how they handle the initial statement and the aftermath.”

Putting together all these activities on campus has been a herculean effort.

“I’ve never been part of an organization with so much planning and strategizing,” says Covone. “I thought it would be easier; but, still, it’s worth it. I have learned things that I can take to the classroom and everyday life, but more importantly is how we are making a difference with our peers. It matters when you can learn about a cause from someone like you.”

Cooper and Eickholt are impressed with all that Lee and the fellows have achieved and the opportunities for the future.

“The initiative has great potential to build bridges between organizations within the College and beyond,” says Cooper. “We need civility in public meetings, at home and in the classroom.

“People need to have curiosity and a willingness to change their minds,” he adds, noting that James Madison and Thomas Jefferson went back and forth for years before Madison agreed to author the Bill of Rights.

One thing a university never lacks is curiosity, and having peers provide a welcome environment for discourse is the perfect recipe for open discussions. It will be exciting to see what the Free Expression Fellows cook up next.