As November 3 draws near, I am hearing from faculty, staff, and deans about the building tensions around election 2020. No doubt 2020 has served up many unexpected curve balls. The election promises to be another challenge that will be present in our classrooms, Zoom sessions, and hanging in the air on campus. We know that students will encounter pre-election commentary and events that may affect anxiety, fear, frustrations, emotional well-being, and mental health. They do not check the realities of the world, including election 2020, at the door. And neither do we. No matter your political affiliation, November 3 will likely result in elevated emotions that may show up in your learning spaces.
Remembering the weeks post-election in 2016, some students came to my classes in tears, angry, and depressed. Others were enthusiastic, happy, and thrilled with the results, depending on how they viewed the election outcome. In some courses, the community values and support we worked to build with each other prior to the election guided us through civil discussions, although emotions ran high. In other classes, the commitment to debate ideas but never attack the person went out the window - replaced by less than civil interactions.
With all of that in mind, I have been asked how we might prepare ourselves and our students for post-election realities. Our VCU community will be affected no matter the outcome. Perhaps we can begin to engage students with making a plan for how they will handle the election results, whatever they may be. This connects to the idea of civil academic discourse, but also their own ability to continue focusing on their studies in the weeks following the election. The College of Humanities and Sciences election website offers great resources to share: voting logistics, topical videos, expert analysis, ways to stay informed, and more. We also included below a host of upcoming exceptional webinars, panels, and events related to the election as well as how to engage in healthy conflict through difficult conversations.
And last, please know this is not a demand or request to add more to your plate. We 100% acknowledge that you already have too much on your fall 2020 plate. We offer this election edition of our newsletter for those of you who are in search of some resources.
Thank you for your dedication to student success,
Kim Case, Director of Faculty Success
From now until November 3—Election Day—the College of Humanities will provide crucial voting information as well as nonpartisan insights into the presidential race, the congressional contests and the mayoral election so the VCU community and the public at large can learn more about what is at stake and can make well-informed decisions.
The Zoom livestream will become available here at the time of the event.
NCFDD Webinar
Core Curriculum Webinar:
How to Engage in Healthy Conflict
Thursday, October 8
2:00-3:30pm EDT
Please note this is listed as a "webinar," but it is pre-recorded. If you register, you can tune in at the stated time or wait for the email after that allows you to review the recording any time.
VCU is proud to be an institutional member of
the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)
For more information on how to set up your free account, visit our NCFDD page.
2020 National Conflict Resolution Day
October 12 - October 16, 2020
New pre-recorded videos and resources will be made available each day, and you can watch, learn and even submit questions whenever it is convenient for you.
The celebration culminates in a pre-recorded keynote address followed by an interactive Zoom session. This year's event schedule features discussions and resources about conflict resolution from VCU leaders and national experts.
Keynote Address: "Changing the Context of Conflict"
Thursday, October 15
L. Trey Wilson, Facilitator, Actor, Writer and Director
Click the button below to view the line-up of speakers. Registration for the live session will open soon.
“One Person, No Vote,” investigates what happened in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder that struck down part of the Voting Rights Act and enabled states with a history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice.
Wednesday, October 21
6:00pm
Carol Anderson, Ph.D., author of One Person, No Vote, will deliver a virtual keynote address.
Registration details for this online event will be added soon.
Conflicts are boiling over:
Can we lower the temperature?
Friday, October 30
10:00-11:00am
This workshop focuses on conflict management strategies essential to addressing difficult situations and individuals in the classroom and workplace. The health pandemic, racial justice movement, high stress levels, and upcoming election have tensions running high. This can lead to increased conflict in classroom and workplace settings. Attendees will participate in small group interactive scenarios. Participants will gain a better understanding of how individual attitudes impact the outcome of conflicts.