CSB And SJU Hoping To Soften Political Disagreements

(KNSI) – The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University are trying to help people learn how to have political conversations in a more civil manner.

A new campus-wide initiative called “Disagreeing Better” is being employed this fall during a presidential campaign that has already seen two assassination attempts on Republican nominee Donald Trump. The effort is a follow-up to something done in 2016 called “Braver Angels.”

The program launches this week with an event Monday from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. The event is free and will feature lawn games and an ice cream social. It is set to take place outside the Great Hall at SJU.

“Disagreeing Better” is being spearheaded by the CSB and SJU Scholar-in-Residence Carol Bruess, who is also the wife of President Brian Bruess. She talks about her vision for the program.

“We have a unique opportunity, as a community rooted in Benedictine values and Benedictine practices, to embrace the hard conversations about our political differences. We can and must invite such dialogue with curiosity, and want to learn another’s story. In fact, we are called to invite dialogue with others in a way that recognizes the inherent dignity of each person, even those who vote differently than we do.”

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