In classrooms, Harkness discussions, and in senior speeches, members of the community have asked for their peers to be more accepting of perspectives and open to criticism about insensitive comments. And, so far this year, students have been much more receptive of these requests.

People feel more at ease talking about issues from politics to race from an emotional perspective, no longer staying silent as students focus on the less personal side of a topic over the Harkness table when in reality they can both coexist. When someone says something offensive, more people speak up and explain why their comment was insensitive or wrong. The emotional responses that students share contribute to the conversation by bringing in personal experiences that can deepen discussions or help support more objective statements.  Now, discussions see an effective pairing of informative intellectual comments and personal experiences.

Because of these two developments – more people speaking up against offensive comments and the inclusion of more emotional responses – student discussions now feel more productive and inclusive while still addressing uncomfortable topics and getting people to think from different viewpoints.

And the goal of these conversations has shifted as well. Rather than arguing to convince another person or shut them down, students more comfortable with ending an argument in peaceful disagreement on either end: in other words – class discussions are starting to become more about sharing knowledge rather than fighting to change another perspective.

This doesn’t mean all conversations at SPA are perfect – they’re not always accepting, kept in check, or include emotional and intellectual perspectives. However, many have changed to fit this description and that is a big step in the right direction. Students should strive to continue being responsive to peers calling each other out and stay engaged in rigorous discussions, working to improve how the community handles difficult conversations.