A former U.S. Senator and former U.S. Attorney General will kick off a semester of Purdue programming Wednesday centered around the theme “Democracy, Civility, and Freedom of Expression.”
Republican Jeff Flake and Loretta Lynch, who served in the Obama administration, will take part in a moderated discussion about Martin Luther King, Jr.
Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion John Gates says a conversation between Flake and Lynch demonstrates the type of dialogue the university wants to create over the coming months.
“What we’re trying to get away from is the polarization—people being on the absolute ends of the spectrum,” Gates says.
Events scheduled throughout the semester include panel discussions on both religion and the media, and “gatherings” where students, staff and members of the community discuss topics ranging from race to gender equality. Gates says he wants people to “lean into the discomfort” these conversations could create.
“Where does our shared humanity intersect with our politics and our belief systems?” Gates says.
Gates says the series, in the works since his arrival last spring, is especially important in an election year. The slate of planned events also follows a semester that included heightened discussion and debate around challenging topics. Gates says after a Purdue student was denied cold medication at a CVS last semester, the broader student response educated him about the struggle some face to feel a sense of belonging at the university.
“We have got to be able to come out of our corners, our partisan corners, whether it's with our politics or with our cultural sensitivities--come out of our partisan corners into a greater middle to be able to hear,” Gates says. “The university has to hear the people.”
He also says the upcoming months of planned programming will highlight the commonality of that experience.
“Many of the same concerns about feeling isolated, or unheard, or unvalued, are shared experiences,” Gates says.
Wednesday evening’s discussion will be moderated by University Senate Chair Cheryl Cooky at Loeb Playhouse.