By Steve Seepersaud
A university should be a marketplace of ideas. In theory, one of the greatest assets of higher education is exposure to people with different perspectives. In reality, amid a sense of polarization that may feel worse than at any point in American history, people prefer discourse that serves as an auto-loop telling them what they want to hear.
Sensitive to the strong and growing cultural divide, a group of Binghamton University students has come together to essentially say, "We can do better." The students have been participating in programming offered by Braver Angels, America’s largest organization bringing conservatives and progressives together on equal terms to understand their differences and find common ground where it exists.
This fall, Stephen Ortiz ― executive director of University Scholars, assistant vice provost for academic enrichment and former collegiate professor of College-in-the-Woods (CIW) ― and Bill Groner '77 held a two-workshop boot camp for students. The first session gave the students practice in effectively discussing politics with people who have opposing views. The emphasis was on understanding the other person rather than debating. In the second workshop, the focus was on depolarization within one's own party.
"I embrace when times of despair afford the greatest opportunity for growth," said Groner, who lived in CIW as a student. "Our current state of intense political polarization seemed a perfect moment to delve deeply into how we best get along with those with whom we disagree. Braver Angels has developed a wonderful body of programs, workshops, and structured dialogue and debate that focuses on skills dedicated to not only successful civil discourse, but a more harmonious society."
Trevor Fornara '23 was invited to participate because of his role as editor-in-chief of Happy Medium, a student-run, nonpartisan political magazine that started at Binghamton last year.
"There were opportunities for us to practice the conversation skills we were learning, and [Bill] gave helpful critiques when our tone or word choice began to stray from our intent," said Fornara, a philosophy, politics and law major. "Not once during the workshops were we asked to change our political convictions. Instead, we confronted the negative stereotypes we believed about the other side and were asked if we thought they were fair. In most cases, after some discussion, we determined they weren’t."
Erin Acosta '24 was a member of CIW's environmental action and studies learning community during her first two years at Binghamton. She was intrigued by an organization working toward depolarization, both between and within parties.
"I found these events to be very informative, and I plan to continue using these strategies going forward when discussing politics," said Acosta, who is majoring in environmental studies with a concentration in public policy and a minor in human rights. "These strategies are not intended for discussions with people who have very extreme views but, for those who are willing to talk with the other party, they can definitely help everyone find common ground."
Marydalia Jimenez '25 competes on Binghamton's speech and debate team, and signed up for the workshops at the encouragement of her coach Joseph Leeson-Schatz.
"[He] figured this workshop would be the perfect opportunity to research new information, learn about politics, practice linguistics and speech, and gain new debate skills," said Jimenez, a double major in political science and French language and linguistics. "It turns out he was right. We were taught a new process of depolarization, called LAPP for short. Listen to the other person. Acknowledge their argument. Pivot the conversation. Propose a depolarizing perspective. These processes may not work all of the time, but this framework will push us into a highly productive and communicative society."
"When I took writing during my first semester [at Binghamton], the topic I chose to write about was political polarization becoming more widespread and more apparent, and that it is damaging our society," said Ian Hauser '24, a double major in psychology and English with a concentration in rhetoric. "Through this experience, I have gained better interpersonal skills ... and learned how to better approach conversations so as to not come off as combative."
Politics is not unlike other areas in life where trying to change someone else is a futile endeavor. Ultimately, the person you have the most influence over is the one who stares back at you in the mirror.
"[Braver Angels' work] rejects the notion that we can change people's minds, or that agreement will trump all," said Ada Hepner '26. "It focuses our attention on what we can control in a given interaction: listening, understanding and compassion."
