CIVIL DISCOURSEBY NANCY LOFHOLM
CMU builds on recent civic engagement opportunities by launching the CMU civics initiative
As a political science and sociology major at Colorado Mesa University, Ta’lor Jackson has learned a lot about the historic underpinnings of democracy and how government works. Jackson has had a chance to converse with a future U.S. Supreme Court justice and a former secretary of state. She has made the rounds in Washington, D.C. and become familiar with the Colorado State Capitol. She has observed judicial deliberations, helped to register voters and organized debates.
In addition to those experiences, there is one college-acquired skill Jackson considers the most important — she has learned how to listen, really listen, with an open mind and a respect for beliefs that might be different from her own.
“Any time there is an opportunity to go to something where different perspectives will be presented, I go,” said the 28-year-old from Vernal, Utah. “Too many people now just see a tweet about something and run with it. But I think the best way is to be informed and that means listening to both sides of the spectrum and learning all you can.”
Jackson’s experiences serve as a model for the kind of civic engagements CMU wants to make more readily available to more students through the new CMU civics initiative.
CMU students have had an abundance of opportunities recently as the university has provided access to unique and remarkable people and events in order to actively promote civics, democratic ideals and civil discourse on campus.
The effort also extends to the broader community. At a time when polarization and partisan nastiness has exploded across the country, and institutions of higher learning are too often denigrated as bastions of liberal elites, CMU is attempting to dispel that notion and provide the community with opportunities where people can practice civic habits and behaviors that enhance the cause of civility in western Colorado and beyond.
