University of Georgia becomes 14th Campus to join SDCN

Friday, January 30, 2009

(Sustained Dialogue Campus Network)

The University of Georgia has become the 14th university to join the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network after proposing an initiative in November of 2008. The state-funded public university enrolls more than 33,000 students, and its main campus in Athens will host the new Sustained Dialogue (SD) program.

The student initiating team, representing 11 students from each undergraduate class year and a range of interests and backgrounds, began the program with the aid of the Office of Multicultural Services and Programs, directed by Cynthia Polk-Johnson.

The students hope that the initiative will create a forum to frankly address the issues that students see as relevant in their campus community. Their conversations will engage community tensions surrounding sexual orientation, gender, race, class, political ideology, religion, town-gown relations and the social culture at UGa. 

Rekina Jones, a fourth-year student, heard about the initiative through the Office of Multicultural Services and Programs. Jones said that she had been to many one-time forums, but that she had not found an opportunity to discuss things in an ongoing way with a diverse set of students.

"I got involved because I wanted to be able to discuss thoughts and get feedback on group relations on campus that I've seen. Hopefully, these dialogues can bring together people who wouldn't normally meet.

"Even in the conversations I've had with the other student leaders while starting this, I'm already learning different perspectives. By just communicating what they've seen, they're already helping me shape my own interactions."

The founding students participated in the Student Initiator Workshop, a time-intensive training conducted by the program directors of the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network in late January.  The students were trained in dialogue facilitation, Sustained Dialogue's five-stage deliberative process and the tasks necessary to build a student-run organization that can both support ongoing dialogue groups and impact the campus with related events and action.

Michelle Gibson, a first-year founding student, sees a clear need for this type of continued forum in addressing longstanding issues. The action the students take on will be informed by in-depth conversations analyzing the dynamics underlying surface tensions.

"If you don't know why something is happening, you can't fix it. And no one's experiences should be too small to be addressed, even on this huge campus."

The other student founders are excited about building a reliable and safe space to tackle difficult topics. Fourth-year student Jordan Tate says that he got involved because Sustained Dialogue reminded him of a previous set of rewarding dialogues.

"When I was a freshman I had a close group of friends with whom I had a lot of in-depth talks about the things that are impacting society, conversations that expanded my views on politics, education, working wages, homelessness, you name it. I got involved with Sustained Dialogue because I definitely feel the need for a platform that deals honestly with the hot-button issues that are almost unmentionable."

Tate, who is a Student Government Association Senator and a Residential Advisor, sees college as a time to prepare to be an active and informed leader in future contexts.

"You can't lead or consider yourself a leader without understanding the experiences that people are having."
 
The University of Georgia's mission suggests that Sustained Dialogue will be a valuable tool in reaching the university's overarching goals. The university endeavors to prepare the university community and the state for full participation in the global society of the 21st century, it seeks to foster the understanding of and respect for cultural differences necessary for an enlightened and educated citizenry...The university is committed to preparing the university community to appreciate the critical importance of a quality environment to an interdependent global society."

For Marlena Lewis, a fourth-year student and Residential Advisor, SD will serve as a supplement to the education provided by the university.  She sees dialogue as a form of expression intertwined with both her interests in Art and Education.

"I wanted to do SD because dialogue is how I learn and, also, because sharing my experiences is now a part of my daily life. In my time here, I've sometimes found myself being the only representative of Blacks present.  In those situations, when you're different and someone wants to learn from you, they might ask you an ignorant question. And you can either be offended or respond knowing that the exchange can be educational, for both of you.

"I know how helpful this will be; to learn more, to build that awareness and have a lot of other students building these skills on our campus, all at the same time."

Third-year student founder Elizabeth Bell says SD appealed to her because of its attention to more than one social group's concerns. She has high hopes about what will be accomplished by bringing students together, outside of the limits of "graded classroom discussion.

"Going into this, I hope it can become an outlet where ideas, values and beliefs can be heard and understood. And, for me, I hope it will help me see beyond my own point of view. I've never had a chance to hear such different perspectives from one extra-curricular."

The students plan to launch three pilot Sustained Dialogue groups and host forums and large-scale discussions in the spring before launching the program fully in the fall of 2009.  For more information or to get involved, contact the Office of Multicultural Students and Programs.

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