Interim President Beong-Soo Kim launched the USC Open Dialogue Project on Monday, an initiative designed to encourage civil discourse on campus.
Shortly after former USC president Carol Folt stepped down from her position in July, Kim gathered a team of faculty leaders to promote productive dialogue on campus, according to Kamy Akhavan, managing director of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future and associate director of programs for the USC Open Dialogue Project.
“If we’re not exchanging ideas across differences, we’re not really learning any new perspectives,” said Akhavan. “Part of the Open Dialogue Project’s goal is just to get some practice, just to start having these conversations in ways that are productive and healthy … where we’re learning and fostering this culture that it’s okay to disagree.”
Student Vineeta Muvvala, a junior majoring in arts, technology, and business of innovation, believes that this project is a step in the right direction from the ways free speech has previously been handled on campus.
“I know students have always had issues in the past about how they can exercise their free speech in regards to maybe being constricted,” said Muvvala. “I think it’s actually pretty cool that students are encouraged to participate in different programs and events where they can agree and disagree with other students on campus, as well as participate in different forums of dialogue.”
The initiative is a response to a a recommendation from the Senate-Provost Task Force on Academic Freedom and Professional Responsibility released August 7, according to a statement provided from Neeraj Sood, founding director of the Open Dialogue Project.
The initiative includes the You Decide Project, which encourages individuals to propose activities for “intellectual openness,” according to a campus-wide email from Kim. A form available on the project webpage directly allows students to submit activity proposals.
The project also includes Speak Free USC, student workshops designed to “organize discussion groups with diverse viewpoints,” according to the sign-up form. Another initiative, Difficult Conversations, features similar workshops for USC faculty.
“We need to generate critical thinkers and not really care what opinions they form, but just the fact that they have well informed opinions,” said Akhavan. “The only way to do that is to get people exposed to contrary perspectives.”
Some students said they hope the Open Dialogue Project will act as a stepping stone to unite people with different experiences in a shared space to speak up regarding their beliefs.
“I think especially with everyone in college coming from different backgrounds and communities … there’s environments where people aren’t as encouraged to speak up for what they believe in,” said Saborni Kundu, a senior majoring in computer science. “So, creating safe spaces for people who don’t necessarily know how to start, but really want to enact some sort of change, is always a good thing.”
Sood noted that the Open Dialogue Project would take surveys in order to gauge the campus’ temperature, as well as the success of the program.
“We plan to survey students and faculty to measure changes in behavior and attitudes, engagement with new programs launched as a result of the project and qualitative assessment through focus groups and interviews with stakeholders,” said Sood.
By including diverse viewpoints, the project aims to highlight the value of every voice, not just the middle ground. According to Akhavan, it emphasizes a core value: free inquiry.
“I think the end result is going to be a better campus culture and one where people are far more comfortable communicating across difference,” said Akhavan.