Jamerson, Neil

English

Furman University

Furman Magazine Volume 63 Issue 1 Spring 2020 Article 14 4-1-2020 Next: Reflection on Furman going forward Neil Jamerson Furman University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazine Recommended Citation Jamerson, Neil (2020) "Next: Reflection on Furman going forward," Furman Magazine: Vol. 63 : Iss. 1 , Article 14. Available at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazine/vol63/iss1/14 This Regular Feature is made available online by Journals, part of the Furman University Scholar Exchange (FUSE). It has been accepted for inclusion in Furman Magazine by an authorized FUSE administrator. For terms of use, please refer to the FUSE Institutional Repository Guidelines. For more information, please contact scholarexchange@furman.edu. NEXT“This is where I belong. This is what I’m meant to do.”KENIA FLORES ’20NEIL JAMERSONFlores returned to North Carolina after that semester to intern in Tillis’ district office and fell in love with the work. Flores said state offices focus on casework, assisting constituents with ev­erything from Social Security issues to expedited passports, while the D.C. office focuses on policy.Elizabeth Edwards, regional director of constituent advocacy in the Charlotte office, calls her “phenomenal.”“I really relied on her last year,” Edwards says.When she learned Flores was applying for a second internship, she told the D.C. office, “We have to have her,”Flores, who focused on education and immigration, attended hearings and briefings and worked with legislative correspondents to develop memos on legislative proposals.As for advocacy opportunities, she took those as they came.For instance, Flores introduced a social media specialist in Tillis’ office to “alt text,” the written descriptions that can be included with online images.The staffer didn’t know about the option but shared it with a GOP social media group. Now other Senate offices are planning to use alt text in their social media.“I just want it to be accessible for me and for other people,” Flores says. “It’s small details like that really matter to me.” ♦TO SUP PORT  S CHOL AR S HI P OPPORTUNI TI ES ,  GO TO FU RMA N. ED U/ G I VE .D e b a t e s  ar e  d iv is i ve.  Di sc uss i ons  ar e saf e .  D i a l o g u e s  ar e  n e i t h e r .And Furman is at the forefront o f a dialogue initiative within liberal arts and sciences education.In 2017 and 2018, Furman sent faculty and staff to the University o f Michigan’s Intergroup Dialogue Institute. Michigan pioneered a curriculum in which students with different social identities -  race/ ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion ... you get it -  learned to dialogue on contentious Issues.The goal of dialogue isn’t  to argue a “ right way” o f thinking. Rather, it humanizes the divergent experiences that cause us to view the same subject differently. It teaches critical thinking, which results in either a change in position or better-informed positions. And as participants explore issues, the interrelation between cognitive and identity diversity comes out.For example, white people don’t have a monolithic opinion about gun control, female views on abortion vary, and so on.Dialogue asks participants to draw upon personal experience. The inherent vulnerability requires bravery. All must participate. Those coming from privileged identities cannot merely observe so as not to place the burden of education solely on the marginalized. Yet, dialogue also respects the agency o f all individuals to narrate their own stories.The importance o f dialogue is clear. A college education privileges those who possess it both economically and civically. To be empowered but unableto dialogue across difference on issues impacting communities unnecessarily excludes important voices. If one has the power to make a decision that impacts others, I’d argue they have a right to a say. (Unless it’s my toddler.)Within our campus community, graduating student data revealed that only 38% o f students reported Furman had greatly developed their awareness o f social problems, and 32% responded the same to whether Furman had prepared them to relate to people o f different races, nations and religions. To fulfill The Furman Advantage’s promise to make real the citizenship promise o f a liberal arts and sciences education, we needed (and continue to need) to improve. Dialogue is one method.Post-Michigan, Furman launched its own dialogue initiative. Since 2018, courses have been taught on topics ranging from race to gender to political ideology. Outside the classroom, peer-facilitated workshops use dialogic techniques to cover topics like implicit bias, social identity and community engagement. Institutional Research is assessing the initiative in comparison to high-impact experiences like study away, internships and undergraduate research to add to a growing body of literature. Literature predominately focused on public flagship institutions. Until now. Er. Next.ABOUT THE AUTHORNeil Jamerson is assistan t vice p residen t fo r  stu d en t development. ♦F U R M A N  | S P R I N G  2 0 2 0  13

Next: Reflection on Furman going forward

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Next: Reflection on Furman going forward

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