Led by Baylor’s Intercultural Engagement Office, Civil Discourse Week ran from Monday to Friday and included panels, lectures and discussions to help students talk through issues people may not agree on, according to Dr. Kevin Villegas, dean of intercultural engagement.
Browsing: Intercultural engagement
The debate featured two panelists from the College Republicans and two panelists from the College Democrats, as well as the moderator, who fielded audience questions coming via a QR code posted at the beginning of the event. Upon hearing the question, each organization had approximately two minutes to answer.
Students learned cultural and religious respect as they gathered for Iftar on Friday evening in Cashion Lobby. Organized by Intercultural Engagement and the Center for Global Engagement, students broke their fast as per the customs of Ramadan.
“My vision is that Baylor will actually come to be known for the way we disagree with one another, for the way we try to bridge gaps in understanding,” Villegas said. “Those are the things I want Baylor to be known for, but it’s going to take our community leaning into some of these opportunities in order to get us to a place where that is just the water we swim in.”
“We are more similar than different if we can get into conversation with each other,” Baesa said. “One of the goals for this program is how can we get back to these conversations — hopefully face-to-face conversations — and how can we get back to hearing who we are as people.”
While a space like this has previously existed, it is being “rebranded” and moved to a more central location: the first floor of Moody Memorial Library. One half of the space is a quiet area where people can engage in deep prayer and meditation, and the other is a more relaxed area for people to sit and engage in conversation.
