PVCC will host a Deliberative Dialogue March 21, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. in the North Mall Meeting Room called Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus: How Do We Foster the Campus Community We Want? During this dialogue, we will discuss how the United States has becoming increasingly diverse and more polarized. As public trust in our political system waivers, U.S. college campuses are grappling with issues of inclusion, diversity, and freedom of speech (Rainie, Keeter, & Perrin, 2019). Conversations about free speech on campus are often framed in opposition to diversity and inclusion and have spawned controversies, protests, and even violence. In 2017, a much-cited survey of more than 3,000 college students conducted by Gallup and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation presented diversity and inclusion as directly opposite free speech, asking students which issues they felt were more important; 53% chose inclusion and 46% chose free speech. In today’s contentious and divided political environment, what should colleges and universities do to meet the roles and responsibilities of higher education to foster the campus community we want?

The framing questions for this dialogue include

1. Are free speech and an inclusive campus in opposition to each other? Do we have to give up one to have the other?
2. How do we balance the rights of individuals with the responsibilities of the institution?
3. Is this the campus community we want? What is the role of institutional leaders versus individuals in creating or changing campus culture?

During the Deliberative Dialogue, small groups will discuss the benefits and tradeoffs of three different solutions to this "wicked problem." Each group is led by a trained facilitator who ensures that every voice is heard. The small groups reconvene at the end of the dialogue for reflection.