Buckeye Day of Dialogue helps expand civil discourse at Ohio State

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Buckeye Day of Dialogue helps expand civil discourse at Ohio State

University is an 'ideal place' for respectful exchange of ideas and opinions

The Ohio State University hosted the first annual Buckeye Day of Dialogue on Wednesday, featuring a signature event at the Ohio Union to encourage civil discourse in the campus community.

The Buckeye Day of Dialogue is part of the university'sListen. Learn. Discuss.initiative to provide all Buckeyes with an opportunity to engage one another in respectful and thought-provoking conversations.

Ohio State President Walter "Ted" Carter Jr., who has championed civil discourse since he arrived at the university, opened the session with an optimistic message to a room of about 150 students, faculty and staff.

"A university campus is the ideal place to set a new and positive model for the respectful and open exchange of ideas and opinions, even when the topic is difficult, even when the convictions are deeply held, even when consensus is not exactly the goal," Carter said.

"I think Ohio State has the opportunity to not only work in this space, but to be the lead. …
I'm proud of the work that's been done so far to equip our students with the civil discourse tools that they will need to be successful leaders and community members. I look forward to the work ahead."

The event was moderated by Aaron Yarmel, associate director of the Center for Ethics and Human Values, who facilitated an inquiry dialogue about free speech and protests on college campuses. This topic was submitted and selected by attendees in real time through a voting procedure.

"This builds on a long-standing legacy of civil discourse here at Ohio State. This is our tradition, and this is a next step in that tradition," Yarmel said. "But the reason why I think of this as a next step is that there's a question we need to ask, which is, what does it look like to transition from celebrating civil discourse to actually doing it?"

Yarmel highlighted important themes, reasons and disagreements raised by the participants, directing attendees to explore them in greater depth: Does anyone have a right to not experience so-called "hate speech," what role should students have in the determination of time, place, and manner restrictions on speech, and what speech policies best allow universities to fulfill their mission?

Yarmel facilitated the conversation usingCEHV's 4Cs of Civil Discourse:

• Be Curious

• Be Charitable

• Be Conscientious

• Be Constructive

Yarmel said civil discourse requires us to slow down and listen to others in order to understand the points they are trying to make. It's a skill that can move beyond the classroom and into our day-to-day lives.

"We often rush through dialogues in our personal lives. I think we often get the low-resolution version of somebody's argument," he said. Successful dialogue requires us to "push to understand and clarify before there's any movement to critique."

The Buckeye Day of Dialogue was supported by the Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, CEHV, the College of Public Health, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Student Life.

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