“Dialogue is difficult… but it should be possible on a college campus where people… have mutual respect for one another and where there is…. the possibility of finding some area of common ground and of mutual modification of beliefs.” -William Kolb (Upton/Kolb Dialogue 1965)
On Thursday, March 26, professors will gather in Beloit College’s Hamiltons to debate students. Called “Disagree with your professor,” the event will host seven professors, each with a different opinion on some topic. Students will get the opportunity to sit down at a professor’s table and debate with them for ten minutes.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Claire Milsted says that plants do not have thoughts, goals, or feelings, and Professor of Sociology Charles Westerberg argues that Major League Baseball should not impose a salary cap for players, but should impose only a salary floor.
The event comes from an Open Discourse Initiative, spearheaded by Dr. Diep Phan, who is also a faculty advisor for Beloit College’s Turning Point USA, and Dean of Students Dr. Rongal Watson. However, the event is ultimately led by faculty and the offices of student life.
The idea of encouraging open dialogue has been in the works for a while, not just since the recent controversies surrounding TPUSA. “This fall semester, it was pretty intense,” said Phan, “[the events] motivated us to continue and deepen [the initiative].”
For Phan, the inability to productively argue with peers and express opinions is something ingrained in Beloit’s culture. In 2024, Phan conducted research on free expression at the College, and found that “The majority of respondents agree (either somewhat or strongly) that the climate on their campus prevents some people from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive.” The goal of this initiative is to help change that culture and to provide a space for students to “focus on the ideas, not the person,” Phan says.
Brinley Richards’29, an executive member of TPUSA Beloit, agrees. “It is essential for people to know how to disagree with one another,” she said. “Allowing us to start with our professors helps us students learn and engage with one another respectfully and professionally.”
President of Beloit’s TPUSA Gregory Abshire’29 added, “[f]or most of us, before coming to college, our beliefs were never challenged and we were never forced to have a conversation with people who had different perspectives.” He sees the event as a positive cultural shift. “This is a great way to teach students how to have these more difficult conversations and help formulate a proper argument.”
“Diversity of thought is what makes a liberal arts campus interesting,” Phan told The Round Table. “Our primary goal is to create a learning environment without fear of hurting feelings or being unproductive.”
The goal for the first event, as Richards corroborated, is to help students be comfortable in disagreement and debate. Professors will start with more tame, less-political topics, but Watson and Phan’s eventual goal is to have students debate highly political, highly polarized topics.
The next event will take place on Apr. 20, called “Disagree with Your Peers.” More information is to come as students are recruited to host a table. At the event this Thursday, students who participate may win prizes like gift cards, swag, and candy.
Featured image: Vecteezy
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