#IHearYou — A Community Discussion on Civil Discourse and Respectful Debate
On October 18, Edward Derr welcomed a diverse audience of students, faculty and administration when he took the floor as moderator of Three Rivers Community College’s panel discussion, #IHearYou –a Community Discussion Civil Discourse and Respectful Debate. The discussion stemmed from an initiative of Mark Ojakian, President of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, to ensure that campuses provide a safe climate for ideas and opinions to be freely shared and debated.
Derr, the TRCC ConnCAS Coordinator, asked carefully curated questions that ranged from how to respond to comments that hinge on stereotypes to the role that higher education holds in ensuring a place to discuss the decisive issues that political candidates have made a part of everyday discussion. An engaged audience posed additional questions, some highly personal, which led to thoughtful responses from the panel.
Panelists included President Ojakian who said, “Our role is to encourage vigorous civil debate on the difficult issues facing our society free of fear and personal attacks.” Both Lee-Ann Gomes, Director of Norwich Social Services, and Celeste Arrieta, TRCC Assoc. Professor of Foreign Language, touched upon the need to be open to other cultures as well as being willing to confront your own biases. Gomes went on to urge the audience “to call yourself on it every time you think of a stereotype — if you don’t know your implicit biases you have to think it through.” State Senator Cathy Osten pointed out that anger and prejudice are often based in fear and that much can be overcome by looking at what drives the negativity. The panelists all agreed that debate requires people to be open and willing to listen. Arrieta urged people to “be interested in learning about other people, be aware of other cultures” and “try to make connections, engage.”
The panelists also agreed that people should examine their own cultural backgrounds. They need to challenge the implicit biases that color their perception of other people and influence how they see themselves in the world, including the limits that they place on themselves. Panelist President Mark Ojakian stressed that everyone in Connecticut who wants an education has a right to one and Arieanna Ramos, TRCC student, followed up and emphasized how important it was for poor and minority students to realize “that they can come into these doors and be college students.”
The conversation was filled with questions about struggle and disenfranchisement but the clear message from the panel was one of hope and the ability to move forward both as a community and as individuals if we put in the effort to self-examine, challenge personal biases and open ourselves to different views and cultures.
The discussion was hosted the ConnCAS Program of TRCC and was a part of the #IHearYou campaign promoting respectful debate across all 17 CSCU campuses.
READ MOREVeterans Resource Fair, Thursday, October 20, 11 am -2 pm
Three Rivers Community College is pleased to announce that it will host for the fourth year the Veterans Resource Fair, a one-stop resources for jobs, health services, networking and more. It will be held on Thursday, October 20, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Three Rivers Community College’s Multi-Purpose Room.
This free event is open to all veterans and their families within the 2nd Congressional District (eastern Connecticut). It is also open to the public and features representatives from a broad range of organizations in the fields of:
Veteran & Community Health Care Programs
Disabled Veteran Outreach
Networking Opportunities
Service Organizations
Readjustment Counselors
Recreational & Therapeutic Programs
Veteran Employment Services & Opportunities
Educational Opportunities
Supportive Services for Veteran Families
Volunteer Opportunities and more!
There will be over 40 agencies, organizations and schools represented at this event including:
Advanced Behavioral Health
American Jobs Center East
Charter Oak College
Columbus House SSVF Housing Program
Community Renewal Team
Connecticut Pardon Team
Connecticut Community Care, Inc. (CCCI)
CT DOL Veterans Employment Services
CT DMHAS Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Program
CT National Guard Member & Family Support Cnt
Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
CT DVA Mobile Outreach Van
Eastern CT Transportation Consortium
From You Flowers/Eve’s Addiction
General Dynamics/Electric Boat
Employment Recruitment
Generations Family Health Center
High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center
Manchester Community College
Masonicare
Mitchell College
Mohegan Sun
Natchaug Programs: Quinebaug and Careplus
Norwich Human Services
Norwich Police Department
Norwich Veterans Center
Office of Higher Education
Perceptions Program
Pets For Vets
Reliance House
Senior Resources on Aging
The American Legion
Three Rivers Community College
Three Rivers Community College Veterans Club
Thames Valley Council for Community Action
RSVP and Veterans Coffee House
United Community and Family Services
University of Connecticut
US Foods
VA CT Cardiology Services
VA CT Healthcare System
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 270
Veterans Day Patriots Race
For more information, contact Sharon Lincoln at 860-215-9264 or slincoln@threerivers.edu.
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