Written by Deborah Tragasz

Hosted by the Inclusion Council of Drury, a group consisted of Drury faculty, staff, and board of trustees with the goal of making Drury an inclusive community, will be hosting a series of talks called “Courageous Conversations”. It will consist for four discussion groups over the course of two weeks, each one focusing on a different topic that has been raised in light of the election.

All four segments of “Courageous Conversations” will take place in the FSC Ballroom room 204 from 12 PM to 1 PM with pizza provided. Monday February 20th will be a discussion of LGBTQ and religion, Friday February 24th will focus on race, Monday February 27th will center around women’s rights, with the concluding session on Friday March 3rd will discuss immigration.

Ryan Gipson, Director of Community Outreach and Leadership Development said that “Courageous Conversations” were sparked by turmoil experienced by members of the Drury community leading up to and after the presidential election in November 2016.

“There are a lot of different groups on campus that have been fighting long and hard for equal rights and the forward movement of their groups’ belief,” Gipson said. “What we want students to understand is that these are designed to be a safe space where they can come and talk openly about whatever it is they’re feeling and whatever thoughts are on their mind without feeling judged or like their opinion doesn’t matter…We’ll have a facilitator on hand to make sure that those conversations do stay civil and no one goes down the path of judging.”

One element of these discussions will include examining the executive orders signed under the new presidential administration that will directly affect the groups centered in each discussion. “There are a lot of students who are very passionate about these different topics, so I think a lot of students will find comfort in the ability to get together in a room of like-minded people and discuss ‘What does this mean for us? What are our next tasks? What do we do moving forward?’”

That being said, with the issues being discussed being sensitive, and in many cases personal ones, Gipson said that the facilitators running the discussions are counting on not everyone agreeing. In fact, this is encouraged as long as all talks remain respectful. “As long as they have an open mind and open ears and are willing to listen, and then by civil in showing their disagreements. The facilitators’ main job in being there is to keep tensions low.”

There will also be facilitators at hand who are educated in the particular topic for that day. Drury faculty members that will participate include Kate AuBuchon from Community Outreach, Rosalyn Thomas and Mackenzie Rozell from Diversity Support Services, Lisa Tessier from Career Planning, and Heejung Cromley from International Support Services.

Gipson said that all were welcome, even those may not be comfortable voicing their thoughts out loud. “No one is going to be pressured to say anything, students are more than welcome to attend and listen. It will be completely open to students who want to speak, and students that want to remain silent and just listen and take it in are more than welcome to do that as well.”

To RSVP for any of the “Courageous Conversations” or for more information, email Mackenzie Rozell at mrozell@drury.edu. All events are free and Panther Passport approved.