Spring 2018 Edition
Alumni & Friends Magazine
Difficult dialogues
OHIO鈥檚 George Washington Forum exemplifies a strategic pathway established by OHIO President M. Duane Nellis: 鈥淏ecoming a place where dialogue and rigorous, civil debate are institutional hallmarks.鈥� Founded in 2009, the effort, supported by alumni and friends, foundations, and corporations, provides space on campus for this dialogue to occur.
Anita Martin, BSJ, 鈥�05 | May 14, 2018
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In December, Robert Ingram, director of on American Ideas, Politics, and Institutions (GWF), needed a co-sponsor to bring in speaker Mark Lilla, a critic of 鈥渋dentity politics,鈥� to campus as a GWF guest. Ingram reached out to delfin bautista*, director of OHIO鈥檚 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center. Would they co-sponsor the talk, though it challenged their center鈥檚 very mission? The answer was, perhaps surprisingly, yes.
Illustration by Leonie Bos
Ingram and bautista value civil dialogue that promotes a diversity of viewpoints, which is what GWF is all about, Ingram says. 鈥淥nly 12 percent of professors self-identify as conservative,鈥� he says, counting himself among them. 鈥淚 invite to the George Washington Forum people I think will sort of scramble the eggs.鈥�
For bautista, Lilla鈥檚 talk let them hear new perspectives. Did all agree in the end? Indeed not, 鈥渂ut that鈥檚 not the point,鈥� bautista says. 鈥淭he point is let鈥檚 listen to each other, and hopefully humanize each other a bit.鈥�
On that, Ingram certainly agrees. The collaboration that brought Lilla to OHIO contrasts how events transpired in December 2016, when Ingram refused to co-sponsor a presentation by conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. 鈥淚f you want someone to actually respect what you think, you present only the very best ideas,鈥� Ingram says, 鈥溾€n a reasoned and civil way.鈥�
*delfin prefers the lowercase form of their name and gender neutral/plural pronouns (they, them, their) or just delfin.
