Talking, listening, understanding and connecting across seemingly wide chasms of race and color, sexual orientation, religion, class and socio-economic status, among other things, are taking shape at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with the help of the Sustained Dialogue (SD) Campus Network.
“Sustained Dialogue 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 the stories and life experiences behind others’ perspectives,” said Jessica Harris, PhD, interim assistant provost and SD program advisor, along with Bryan Jack, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Historical Studies and Tarsha Moore, advisor for Transition Programs and Outreach in the Office of Student Affairs.
Harris, Moore and others presented the results of the SIUE Sustained Dialogue Program Pilot on Friday, March 30 in the Morris University Center’s Conference Center.
“Careful attention to creating a learning space for dialogue makes it possible for people from different sides of an issue to learn the root causes of community problems and build better strategies to address these root causes with new allies,” continued Harris.
SD is a public peace process, conceptualized by U.S. Diplomat Hal Saunders, from his experience in the Arab-Israeli peace process, including the Camp David Peace Accords and the Cold War dialogues of the1980s. In 1999, Princeton students adapted SD to address identity-based tension, transform relationships across lines of difference and improve campus culture.
The SD Campus Network is on 62 campuses worldwide, and SIUE is the only public university in Illinois included in the network. The University initiated SD because of students’ feelings of isolation 
and wanting solutions to campus tensions and conflicts, according to Harris.
“SD began in 2017 as both a co-curricular and curricular pilot program for students,” said Moore. “The eight-week co-curricular program was voluntary and led by peer students. The eight-week curricular program was part of the freshman Honors courses and led by faculty.”
“SD is beneficial in that it helps to transform relationships,” added Moore. “It also super-charges conversations, empowers young adults to create change, supports conflict resolution, enhances diversity and more.”
“When I first came to college, I had no idea what I was walking into,” said freshman Bree Marciniak, of Collinsville, who took part in the co-curricular course. “But I was relieved when I took part in this program and was able to open up and talk. We are all struggling with something. The classes taught me how to listen better. There is a difference between hearing and listening. Listening makes you grow.”
“I wish this Sustained Dialogue had been available when I was a freshman,” said Austin Darling, a senior psychology major and SD moderator. “I came from a small town where there was no diversity, and I came to SIUE trying to find my identity as a gay, white male college student.”
“I think SD should be mandatory for students,” said Terry (T.J.) Riggs, teaching assistant in Campus Recreation, who supervised the SD moderators. “It allows you to grow in a variety of ways. I learned more about the LGBTI community, which will be helpful because I have family members who are gay.”
“What will SD look like in the long term at SIUE?” Harris asked the audience. “Should we require it for all students? I do not know. That is for us as a University community to decide, but we can start with continuing the SD co-curricular program.”
Photos:
Jessica Harris, PhD, interim assistant provost and SD program advisor, and Tarsha Moore, advisor for Transition Programs and Outreach in the Office of Student Affairs, led the presentation of the Sustained Dialogue (SD) Campus Network to the SIUE community on March 30.
SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook engages in dialogue with David Groves, research assistant in the Department of Management and Marketing; Justin Hall, sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Jim Klenke, associate vice-chancellor for Student Affairs and dean of students.
Participating in the discussion is Bryan Jack, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Historical Studies. Also shown are CAS freshmen (R-L) Bree Ann Marciniak, Maddison Schneider and Mahoggani Pickett.