{"id":1078,"date":"2022-02-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:3000\/five-college-campuses-that-managed-to-bridge-differences\/"},"modified":"2024-03-26T15:55:47","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:55:47","slug":"five-college-campuses-that-managed-to-bridge-differences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.interfaithamerica.org\/article\/five-college-campuses-that-managed-to-bridge-differences\/","title":{"rendered":"Five College Campuses That Managed to Bridge Differences"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Higher Education<\/span>\n

Five College Campuses That Managed to Bridge Differences<\/h1>\n
\n By
Scott Shigeoka<\/address>\n <\/div>\n

February 4, 2022<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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IFYC is pleased to be partnering with Greater Good Science Center. This article was originally posted<\/a> on Greater Good Magazine and reproduced here with their permission.<\/em><\/p>\n

Most colleges and universities provide an opportunity to meet people who have different faiths, politics, identities, and life experiences. If the campus culture fosters belonging, this diversity exposes students to new ways of thinking. It expands students’ outlook about the world around them, and even changes the way they see themselves. That is what the college experience should be all about!<\/p>\n

But this diversity can also present enormous challenges, especially in today’s climate of worsening division and polarization—whether it’s about mask protocols or vaccinations for COVID-19, or demands for the campus to do more on racial justice. Global issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict can find their way onto an American campus and lead to interpersonal conflict across individuals and groups. Sometimes that conflict isn’t productive, and becomes harmful or violent—arguments turn into lawsuits, property damage, or worse.<\/p>\n

A 2017 survey<\/a> of more than 3,000 college students, conducted by Gallup and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, found that 61% of students believe that “the climate on their campus prevents some students from expressing their views.” It’s not just students who are experiencing these ruptures on campuses across the country—so are faculty, staff, and administrators.<\/p>\n

This is why the Greater Good Science Center created the Bridging Differences course<\/a> with a special emphasis on higher education. The goal of the course is to teach research-based strategies for better relationships, dialogue, and understanding across divides—and though we created it with campuses in mind, the course is relevant to anyone navigating conflicts and differences.<\/p>\n

We’ve heard from campus leaders across the country that a course like this is timely, beneficial, and necessary. Out of these conversations, we surfaced five times when campus leaders succeeded in building bridges between antagonistic groups. We hope they’ll provide you with some inspiration for building bridges, wherever you live and work.<\/p>\n

1. Navigating controversial topics at an Oregon community college<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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