'Your Voice and Your Rights' forum to be held Feb. 22

Ohio University’s Center for Campus Community Engagement (CCCE) and University Libraries are leading a deliberative forum titled, “Your Voice and Your Rights,” about freedom of expression in the collegiate environment on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. 

Participants in the forum will have the opportunity to engage in conversation with others who may have passionately different points of view around this important issue. A recent report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, "Campus Free Expression: A New Roadmap," states, “We have a national civic skills deficit, which colleges and universities have an essential role in remedying,” and calls on universities to lead by modeling and supporting respectful, serious conversations across profound differences. This work seeks to promote and validate our diversity of life experiences while affirming our democratic values and treating others fairly. 

While the February forum will consist of invited participants, future forums will be open to all. Anyone interested in this issue is invited to share their reflections and concerns and contact information on this form. 

The framework for the forum discussion topic comes from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) issue guide, "Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus: How Do We Foster the Campus Community We Want?" This guide outlines some perceived tradeoffs around creating safe and inclusive campus environments while at the same time engaging with ideas across differences. These tensions are familiar to OHIO’s communities. Like most other college campuses in the U.S., OHIO has seen its share of controversies, in contemporary times and historically.

In support of the University’s Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan and in the spirit of the Make Respect Visible initiative, participants in this forum will have the opportunity to share, learn from others, and be an active participant in advancing the inclusivity of OHIO’s campuses.

This event has grown out of a collaborative effort between the CCCE and Univeresity Libraries in which leadership from both units have engaged in Kettering Foundation’s Initiatives for Democratic Practices, a learning exchange in which participants explore the use of deliberative practices to foster democracy in our communities.

For more information, contact Dr. Kelly Broughton, assistant dean for research and education services.