On Sept. 10, 2024, the Institute for Advancing American Values (IAAV), a club at Boise State that aims to create a space where individuals can “talk and listen to each other respectfully about the issues and values that have shaped America…” hosted “Dialogue for Democracy”.
“Dialogue for Democracy” was described on the organization’s website as an event that “[supports] open inquiry and the freedom of expression, and [celebrates] the plurality of ideas.” The event went from 6:45 p.m. to roughly 8:30 p.m. and was structured by having students first watch the debate, and then discuss afterward.
Mia Hoetker, a senior at Boise State and a student fellow for the Institute for Advancing American Values described “Dialogue for Democracy” as a “club effort.”
“It’s open to anyone is really what we’re promoting,” Hoetker said. “The institute is all about respectful discussions and listening, talking to people in order to understand them and to listen and not necessarily to respond and offer your own perspectives, but really have a spot to share your values and have people listen to them .”
In an attempt to keep the event as non-partisan as possible, Hoetker said that student and faculty fellows are present at these events “to ensure that people are speaking respectfully and listening to each other in order to have these discussions.”
Student fellow Christian Ouzounian, who has been a part of the Institute for Advancing American Values for two semesters in total, said the institute’s “biggest goal” is to ”break down those fears [of judgment] and those preconceptions, and let people know that is a safe place for discussion.”
Ouzounian shared that he feels the institute is often judged by its name alone due to the inclusion of the phrase “American values”.
“People hear the phrase American values and think of traditional nuclear family Republican values when in reality, American values are what you make of them,” Ouzounian said. “It’s a very personal thing.”
While some of the organization’s events center around politics, Ouzonian says he is glad to see the club bringing in students from a range of majors.
“It’s nice because we’re attracting people who aren’t just political science majors, and that really is mainly the goal,” Ouzonian said. “This is something that should be open to everyone … We’ve got more members than we did freshman year, so I’m glad to see that it is growing.”
Sawyer Crenshaw, a junior at Boise State majoring in political science and the president of the Political Science Association shared his experience at the Dialogue for Democracy event.
From Bingo sheets that featured topical references to TikTok and brat to pizza and merch Crenshaw described the event as “laid back” and “comfortable.”
“Everybody was welcome, regardless of political ideology, I think everybody had a great time,” Crenshaw said. “I don’t think anybody even knew anyone else’s political ideology. That was the best part. It was just a bunch of students who were able to get together and laugh at some of the things that were said and get a little worried about some of the other things that were said.”
As president of the Political Science Association, Crenshaw witnessed the blending of the two clubs at the event.
“It got a lot of different people together,” Crenshaw said. “I actually just got elected as president of the Political Science Association, which is another club … This was put on by the IAAV but we were able to plug ourselves in there a little bit.”
The Institute for Advancing American Values will be hosting “Boise State Listens”, an event that allows participants to speak on a variety of topics, in the Student Union’s Special Events Center from 5-6 p.m. on Oct. 1, 2024.
