At Beaver, we lead with heart, connect with intellect, and go forward with action.
This is the framework on how we approach our work in any crisis, and it allows us to:
- Address the needs of our students and faculty/staff
- Learn about the complexities of the issue
- Provide space for difficult conversations
- Speak, listen, and agree to disagree
But how do we do this as a community? We …
- Work with speakers and experts to equip us with the skills to navigate these courageous conversations;
- Learn more about the conflict;
- Understand the impact of our words and actions on others, especially on social media.
OUR NEXT STEPS
SPEAKER SERIES
Having difficult conversations is difficult. It is not something we can simply dive into but rather we need to be taught how to have these conversations.
To help give our students the tools they need to address their emotions, beliefs, and opinions—and go forward with action—we are launching a speaker series after Thanksgiving break. These experts will not lecture our students on the current conflict but rather lead conversations around:
- Conflict resolution and courageous conversations
- Asking questions about the current conflict
- The impact of our words—on social media and other communications—on others.
ENGAGING IN COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS
We are also working with students to create more spaces to engage in these dialogues on campus. We know this work is ongoing; it will not be “done” after a term or two.
In an uncertain world, in any crisis, there is pressure to take a side from all sides, so it’s crucial we learn how to express ourselves and see the complexities and multiple perspectives of a topic; there are many ways and multiple truths.
The image below is a guide students can reference when looking to engage in these types of conversations and questions to ask themselves.
- What beliefs and values of right and wrong do I have?
- What influences those beliefs and values?
- What are you feeling? What is causing those emotions?
- What questions come to mind?
- What sense are you trying to make?
- What are you feeling compelled to do?
It is important to keep our humanity, dignity, and respect for others when we are having courageous conversations. That should always be at the core of all we do.