February 16, 2024
Student and faculty fellows embrace ‘Conversations for Change’ at Providence College
By Martha Young
What started more than six years ago with a conversation at a going-away party about bridging differences on campus has led Nicholas Longo ’96, Ph.D., professor of global studies, and Quincy Bevely, Ph.D., vice president for institutional diversity, to where they are today — shaping the culture of conversation at Providence College.
Through a $250,000 grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Longo and Bevely are leading Conversations for Change, an initiative dedicated to promoting civil discourse across campus and in the community.
The most visible expressions of their work are five Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy walls, known as DID walls, strategically located across campus — in Feinstein Academic Center, the Center at Moore Hall, Peterson Recreation Center, the Arthur F. and Patricia Ryan Center for Business Studies, and the Science Complex — each with a focus that integrates with the building culture.
Student and faculty fellows also work together to create experiences that encourage constructive dialogue on campus. Student fellows have helped to facilitate courses taught by the faculty fellows, using a set of civic prompts like case study vignettes to introduce concepts around engaging complex issues related to diversity and equity.
The 2023-2024 student fellows are:
- Aliyat Adeboye ’24 (Riverside, Rhode Island)
- Alexandra Delano ’25 (Charlton, Massachusetts)
- Connor Flynn ’25 (Natick, Massachusetts)
- Sofia Lamas ’24 (East Providence, Rhode Island)
- Ella McIntire ’24 (Mattapoisett, Massachusetts)
- Rachel Medeiros ’25 (Fall River, Massachusetts)
- Amari Mims ’25 (North Haven, Connecticut)
- Johandalys Montas ’25 (Woonsocket, Rhode Island)
- Bryn Morgan ’24 (Pawcatuck, Connecticut)
- Joemari Pulido ’24 (Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands)
- Daniel Singh ’26 (The Bronx, New York)
The project also created opportunities for faculty to learn how to integrate civil discourse in courses. The second cohort of faculty fellows are:
- Edmund Dain, Ph.D., professor of philosophy
- Dana Dillon, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and chair of public and community service studies
- Robert Hasson, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work
- Amy Foley, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of English
- Ana Cecilia Iraheta, assistant professor of world languages and cultures
- Arati Kale, Ph.D., assistant professor of finance
- Colin King, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy
- Lynne Lawson, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics
- Adam Myers, Ph.D., associate professor of political science
- Kelly Ramirez, director of the Donald Ryan Incubator for Entrepreneurship in the Arts and Sciences
- Erin Schmidt, Ph.D., assistant professor of theater, dance, and film
- Virginia Thomas, Ph.D., assistant professor of art and art history and of women’s and gender studies
- Gizem Zencirci, Ph.D., associate professor of political science
Mims, a biology major and women’s and gender studies minor, was introduced to the initiative as part of her Development of Western Civilization colloquium with Longo and Bevely. She focuses on building strong and healthy conversations around science, technology, engineering, and medicine topics on the DID Wall in the Science Complex.
“Conversations being so public has been very helpful,” said Mims. “We work on how we should frame conversation in a way that is inclusive.”
Student Fellows also host and promote events such as STEMsgiving in November. Conversations in the Science Complex were enjoyed over Thanksgiving pies as students were invited to write thank you letters to faculty members and staff.
Singh, a psychology major and marketing minor, works with other student fellows on the Feinstein DID Wall. He spoke to one of Dillon’s classes on the importance of democracy in conversation.
“We want to give students the opportunity to share opinions without fear of ostracization because everyone deserves to have an equal voice,” Singh said. “Our opinions matter. Our ideas change things.”
Delano, a biology major, was attracted to the fellows program because of her interest in research. She worked with Longo during the summer to research evidence-based practices for leading deliberative dialogues for a civil discourse hub and courses on campus.
With the campus initiative underway, efforts have begun to bring the local community into the conversation. Wole Akinbi, a resident of the Smith Hill neighborhood, is a full-time facilitator and community liaison for Half-Full, LLC, a company dedicated to teambuilding, leadership development, and helping organizations build healthy work cultures. He joined PC as a community dialogue fellow. In his role with the DID Lab, he will be a bridge between campus and the community, helping to lead dialogue on important topics such as housing and economic development.
“There are many events and initiatives that take place in the Smith Hill, Wanskuck, and Mount Pleasant communities that could benefit from collaboration with PC,” Akinbi said. “My goal is to make sure students, faculty, and staff at PC and residents from the surrounding communities have access to events and opportunities on and off campus.”
Longo and Bevely believe Akinbi will be a valuable resource for their program.
“Wole is a long-time community leader who has mentored many PC students over the past decade and is well respected in the community,” said Longo. “We are lucky to have his wisdom supporting campus-community dialogues and pushing Providence College to be more engaged in the community.”
The student fellows will continue their leadership efforts throughout the year, facilitating dialogues and co-organizing campus events, including the “With Mutual Respect” series created by College President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G.
“It’s about so much more than the DID Walls,” Delano said. “We, as fellows, have the power to take conversations beyond the classrooms and into the community.”
Bevely said goals and outcomes of the program are fluid, reflecting the culture and climate of campus at any given time.
“We develop a co-creative and co-collective space that reflects the pulse of each cohort of students and faculty,” he said. “This dynamic approach means we don’t know what the conversations will be until we meet the participants. And that’s how the best outcomes emerge.”
Students and faculty interested in applying to be fellows for the 2024-2025 academic year are encouraged to contact Longo and Bevely during the spring recruiting season.
