Civility Initiative

by Tyler Laws-Mahe As society asks questions about the importance and place of gender, we can all consider what stereotypes are worth keeping and what are damaging. Introduction State bills  targeting transgender individuals have initiated questions about gender in sports and the interplay between  the religion of healthcare providers and

By Adam Miller What Are Reparations? Reparations take on a different meaning for different people. One prevalent interpretation is a lump sum of cash or series of payments to African Americans to compensate for slavery and other injustices perpetuated by society. Is this the only way to repair the damage

Have you ever been in a situation where people start talking about immigration and you get uncomfortable talking about it? Have you ever felt uncomfortable talking about it because you have some formed opinions about immigration but don't feel confident in your bank of knowledge on the topic to have

A quick google search for ‘the most influential news anchor of all time’ will quickly lead one to Ranker @ ranker.com.  The person that fills the top slot on this list is Walter Cronkite, who served as the CBS evening news anchor from 1962 to 1981.  For those old enough

By Grant Collins Posting about politics on social media is a step into the boxing ring. Regardless if you are the creator, you’ve probably observed the unfortunate outcome all too common in today’s polarized political arena. Friends, family, and complete strangers take off the gloves for a fight,

In the comedy The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, the character Cecily worries aloud about a character named Algernon (who she later falls in love with), stating, “I have never met any really wicked person before. I feel rather frightened. I am so afraid he will look just

By Helen Osborn My daughter's skin is darker than mine. Her genetics include a long line of proud Hispanic men and women and mine trace solely back to Western Europe. Her eyes are the most vibrant brown, reminding me of the lines in the center of a mahogany tree, strong

We’ve all heard it. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all said it. “He did it too,” or “She started it.” As any adult would know, this is a child’s argument. This argument is one we are very keen on rooting out of our children by telling

By Sarah Habermaas Civility has always been a topic of discomfort for me. It was always something that my professors in undergrad pushed, and I agreed with. However, the way that it was implemented and treated, especially by my peers, made me uncomfortable. This was in no small part due

By Micah Cozzens In the social media frenzy following the Capitol Riots on January 6th, 2021, I didn’t see many responses I would classify as moderate or much rhetoric I would characterize as civil. My Facebook feed consisted mostly of people infuriated that one of the rioters--a female veteran--had

By Skyler Wixom Identities are tricky to manage. Even the word “identity” seems to consistently either evade a concrete definition or refuse to let any imposed definition stick. Trickier still is two identities trying to manage interacting with each other, especially if those identities seem at odds. When I publicly

How does a Mexican immigrant stay friends with a Trump supporter?  In jest, I want to answer this by saying  “very carefully” but, all kidding aside, I have stayed friends with many Trump supporters. Yep.  You’re reading right.  I am a Mexican immigrant who is a friend of many

By Veronika Tait Current tensions between liberals and conservatives are high. The past two decades have shown large shifts away from ideological overlaps between the left and right. Seventy-three percent of surveyed adults said that Republican and Democratic voters “not only disagree over plans and policies, but also cannot agree

By Duane Adamson I am often asked by students and friends how to find the most objective news and information about political events. Words like bias and "fake" are thrown around frequently by many on different sides of political debates. Quite divergent "news" often exists about the same event making

“Politics?” “Again?” “Why?” “Aren’t you sick of politics, Mosiah?” Those seem to be the reactions I normally get whenever I bring up politics.  I always wonder why everyone is so averse to speaking or having a conversation regarding politics. Then I remember people are tired of confrontations with their

Well here we are. Another election behind us, another day in the pandemic, another day of worrying about school closures, job security, deceit and treason, violence and incivility, ignorance and arrogance—it’s hard to know which worry to prioritize. It’s even harder to know who to listen to