A group called Project NU Belong is putting on an on-campus debate on immigration on Tuesday.
The question: Should communities cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE?
The discussion, organizers say, will follow a structured format designed to encourage participants to listen to differing perspectives rather than compete to win an argument.
Project NU Belong, formerly known as the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion
committee, changed its name about two years ago, said Marguerite Regan, director of
the Center for Teaching and Learning at Newman. The program works to put the Newman code into practice by fostering respect, encouraging honest dialogue and promoting a sense of belonging.
Although Newman’s Center for Teaching and Learning put on a similar event in the spring, during which artificial intelligence was debated, next week’s event will be the first
organized by Project NU Belong, Regan said.
Regan is a trained debate chair with Braver Angels, a nonpartisan organization founded
in December 2016 to reduce political polarization in the United States. Newman is also a
member of the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, which will sponsor the event.
Regan said Project NU Belong considered several topics before selecting immigration
for the conversation. The committee developed five possible resolutions and received 36
responses in a community straw poll before choosing the resolution with the most balanced split
and high audience interest.
The committee wanted the discussion to focus on policy rather than questioning
anyone’s humanity or dignity, Regan said.
“Nobody’s humanity is up for debate,” Regan said. “That is definitely something we talked about in committee.”
The conversation format originated with Braver Angels, and unlike traditional
debates that can emphasize winning and losing, the format encourages listening, respectful
disagreement and understanding different viewpoints, Regan said.
During the event, the moderator will introduce ground rules and guide the discussion. Cross-talk will not be allowed, and attendees will be able to participate by speaking or simply listening without having to share their own opinions.
Regan said the format gives participants an opportunity to hear diverse perspectives,
share their own experiences and learn to engage constructively.
Huachuan Wen, chair of Project NU Belong, said developing the ability to understand
different perspectives is important in higher education.
“This is a higher education setting, and that’s an important quality that a human being needs to
develop,” Wen said.
Wen also connected listening to differing viewpoints with success in post-college life.
“. . . Living in just an enclosure, a total enclosure in your own world, that won’t work in any
professional setting,” Wen said.
Regan said the word “conversation” distinguishes the event from a traditional debate, which can emphasize winners and losers rather than listening and understanding.
The event will take place from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Center for Teaching & Learning in Dugan Library. Admission is free and all students, faculty and staff are invited. Light refreshments will be served.
