Discussions about polarizing political topics are being held around campus, inviting students and faculty alike to join in.
Bronco Convos, an initiative recently launched by The Institute for Advancing American Values (IAAV), facilitates conversations about hot political topics on campus. The program debuted on Aug. 29 and is set to consist of eight events throughout the semester.
Dr. Isaac Castellano, associate director of IAAV, said the first three events have been a success, noting civil conversation between attendees.
On Oct. 9, seven members of the community from a variety of backgrounds took part in a Bronco Convos session centered on immigration and Portland’s recent deployment of the National Guard
The meeting began with Allen Dalton, an advisor at IAAV, reviewing ground rules focused on maintaining respect and emphasizing open-mindedness among participants. He remained present as a designated mediator to ensure attendees used the correct terminology during the conversation.
Dalton notes that the IAAV was launched in the spring of 2021 to inspire people to respectfully and directly interact with polarizing issues shaping our country. Castellano emphasized the institute hopes to “reestablish the trust that public institutions of higher education are places where exchange of ideas and dialogue can occur”.
“Bronco Convos is an extension of that general attempt to get people to talk to one another,” Dalton said. “It’s the natural outgrowth of our program.”
“We want students to come and faculty and staff to both get educated here and articulate their views,” Castellano added. “It’s about really trying to understand what the other side thinks, and what the issues are here.”
Dalton hopes the program will have a ripple effect outside of campus, encouraging students and faculty to continue conversations outside of sessions.
“It’s, in some sense, a grassroots-oriented attempt to carry out a model of conversation that can be applied to groups larger than the institute,” Dalton said.
Several colleges have made efforts to begin similar political conversation series, such as the University of Chicago and Brown University.
Castellano became motivated to create Bronco Convos due to his feeling that the current national conversation has devolved into “name-calling” rather than respectful discussion. He hopes that Bronco Convos will contribute to filling this need by encouraging productive conversation.
Dalton compared Bronco Convos to Boise State Listens, another similarly structured program run by the IAAV. Boise State Listens asks students from different backgrounds to identify and discuss their core values in front of an audience.
One consistent issue Dalton identified with Boise State Listens was the difficulty in encouraging students to speak in depth about how their values tie into their political views.
“We thought that the Bronco Convos program, by emphasizing contentious issues, would hopefully get us to the next step,” Dalton said.
While Castellano and Dalton are both enthusiastic about the program, they are also wary of the possibility of conflict arising.
“You’re always running the risk that things might get out of hand,” Dalton said. “There’s a lot that can go wrong, but that’s why we always start with a set of ground rules.”
The group opened the semester with two training sessions from a group called Braver Angels, a national organization made up of local volunteers to depolarize the country’s national dialogue. The trainings touched on disagreeing better, practicing active listening, and voicing one’s opinions without putting others down.
Each event has a designated mediator who can fact-check statements in real time and is knowledgeable about the topic being discussed.
“An hour is not going to resolve all the questions or positions on any of these topics, but the hope is that we move the needle on just illuminating some of the details so people walk out just a little bit better informed,” Castellano said.
The next Bronco Convo will be hosted by Ty Jordan, an undergraduate member of Advancing American Values. The discussion will take place in the Lookout Room at the Student Union Building on Oct. 24, where attendees will discuss freedom of speech in the United States.
“I feel pretty confident that we’re gonna facilitate meaningful and responsible dialogue,” Jordan said. “I just hope they leave with the feeling that they can express themselves.”
