Coalition of departments sponsor post-inauguration conversation

February 24, 2025 (Volume 48, Number 12)

groups of people at round tables, Lisa Perhamus at front by podium, screen pulled down

Lisa Perhamus, director of the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse, stands by the podium while a participant at the Post-Inauguration Reflection event asks a question.

Nearly 100 students, faculty and staff attended the Post-Inauguration Reflection event February 5 in the Kirkhof Center.

Lisa Perhamus, professor of interdisciplinary studies and director of the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse, co-facilitated the conversation with Laura Schneider, associate professor of political science.

Perhamus said the support for the event demonstrated a shared interest in finding constructive and productive ways to engage in conversation, regardless of how people voted.

"Many students have grown up amidst political infighting where shouting matches and name calling is commonplace," Perhamus said. "It can be difficult to trust that dialogue across differences is possible. One hope for this campus conversation was that it contributed to building trust in these divided times."

The event was co-sponsored by many campus departments: Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse, Geography & Sustainable Planning, Political Science, GVSU Votes!, Women's Commission, Student Senate, Black Faculty & Staff Association, and Asian Faculty & Staff Association. The student organization "Connections Through Conversation" assisted.