SUSTAINED DIALOGUE (CO-CURRICULAR DIALOGUE OPTION)
is a process that addresses issues of community relations including race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability status, and other topics that often aren’t effectively discussed in diverse groups. SD seeks to transform relationships for the better through meaningful dialogue by creating a space for students to convey and exchange not just their opinions about contentious matters, but also share their personal stories and life experiences. SD was created by Dr. Harold "Hal" Saunders, an American diplomat who was instrumental in a number of peace processes in the Middle East in the 1970s onward. In the early 1990s, Dr. Saunders distilled over 30 years of experience and observations into SD, this unique change process which (1) focuses on transforming relationships that cause problems, creates conflict, and blocks change; and (2) emphasizes the importance of effective change over time.
We began offering Sustained Dialogues in 2020 as an option for students looking for a dialogue experience rooted primarily through developing relationships and working toward action. Sustained Dialogues are ways to build relationships across differences and shift campus culture regarding large-scale intergroup conflicts. Students may form their own groups on topics impacting the campus community and submit on Qualtrics to be paired with facilitators for the semester. Groups of at least 10 can be formed to affect any large community challenge. They are formed to improve challenging relationships between social identity groups or to approach large-scale intergroup conflicts. Groups are formed to improve relationships across differences AND take concrete action to improve communities.
What is Sustained Dialogue?
Once a Sustained Dialogue topic has been approved, the group will be matched with a co-facilitator pair and meet weekly for 2 hours for about 10 weeks, or until the group decides they have reached their goal. Examples of topics groups may choose to dialogue about:
- Racism in the STEM field (previous 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Science Scholars 2020 topic)
- Local high schools’ perception of the university as unattainable
- Lack of awareness of campus history of Indigenous colonization
- Sexual assault and domestic violence on campus
- Religious tensions or misunderstandings on campus
- LGBTQ+ & heterosexual student relations