Can you think of someone in your life who made a difference? Who listened? Who gave you a second chance in a tough spot? Maybe today we could gather to celebrate those people in our lives, and ask ourselves how we can be that person for someone else we haven’t met yet.

Care to discuss?

Wednesday, September 26 at 4:30-6:00 pm in the Sojourner Truth Library Conference Room M39

EVERYONE is welcome to join: secretaries, facilities staff, clerical staff, police officers, as well as faculty and students.  No special expertise needed.

Please be aware of our Mission and Values – which can be summed up as:” “listen generously, come prepared to change your mind and, speak only from your lived experience, in which you are the only expert.”

Remember to Join the mailing list for the most current updates.

Conversation One will take a break tomorrow, to encourage folks to attend an important related campus conversation. If you can, please try to attend “Continuing the Conversation: Talking Constructively About Race in the Classroom”, a round table with New Paltz faculty Crystal Donkor, Carolyn Corrado, Michael Smith & Tyrell Connor. If you’re at all interested in the topic you’re more than welcome, even if not a current student, faculty or staff member. Wed., Sept. 12, 2018, 3:30 p.m. Honors Center, College Hall 111

In 1987 Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist spiritual leader and teacher wrote, “There is a lot of anger, frustration, and misunderstanding in the peace movement. The peace movement can write very good protest letters, but they are not yet able to write a love letter.” Could you write a love letter to someone who represents for you the worst kind of bigotry, sexism, hatred, homophobia? What would it say?

Care to discuss?

Today, Wednesday, 4:30-6:00 pm in the Sojourner Truth Library Conference Room M39

EVERYONE is welcome to join: secretaries, facilities staff, clerical staff, police officers, as well as faculty and students.  No special expertise needed.

Please be aware of our Mission and Values – which can be summed up as:” “listen generously, come prepared to change your mind and, speak only from your lived experience, in which you are the only expert.”

Remember to Join the mailing list for the most current updates.

Handling Hurt

When we’ve been excluded, or treated like an outsider, it always hurts, whether you are someone who is Muslim, lgbtq+, Latinx, African American, woman – or white religious conservative. Speaking from your own experience of exclusion, or excluding another person, how have you seen that pain dealt with in a healing way or in a harming, damaging way.

Wednesday Aug 29 @ 4:30 PM [Late arrivals/early departures are welcome!]    Sojourner Truth Library Conference Room (M39)

EVERYONE is welcome to join: secretaries, facilities staff, clerical staff, police officers, as well as faculty and students.  No special expertise needed.

Please be aware of our Mission and Values – which can be summed up as:” “listen generously, come prepared to change your mind and, speak only from your lived experience, in which you are the only expert.”

Remember to Join the mailing list for the most current updates.

Conversation One is cancelled for today, August 22, 2018.

Remember to Join the mailing list for the most current updates.

Tell, Don’t Ask!

These days everybody knows how to talk like an expert, especially in higher education

Lots of declarative sentences

Opinions stated as facts

Have anyone ever used a certain style of speaking as a “power move” against you? Have you ever used it “against” someone else?

What went well?

Seems like so much of the news is bad.

Did you have a moment of success?

Where you able to engage in dialogue with someone from a very different point of view?

Did you have an insight from listening?

This week’s suggested topic: How can we engage with one another on challenging issues, while remaining in community? Other suggestions welcome.  Come join the Conversation.

Two reminders:

#1 –  EVERYONE is welcome to join: secretaries, facilities staff, clerical staff, police officers, as well as faculty and students.  No special expertise needed.

#2 – Please be aware of our Mission and Values – which can be summed up as:” “listen generously, come prepared to change your mind and, speak only from your lived experience, in which you are the only expert.”

Conversation One

4:15pm [Note Earlier Time – but late arrivals are welcome!], Wednesday July 25, 2018

STL Conference Room

Hope to see you there!

Conversation One is cancelled for June 20 & 27 and July 4, 2018.

We hope to see you on July 11, 2018.

Remember to Join the mailing list for the most current updates.