Pulse Check: The Reputation Rethink - Part 5

‍About The Episode:

In this episode of Pulse Check: The Reputation Rethink, we turn to one of the most nuanced and hopeful findings in Ologie’s national study: across political identities, people want colleges and universities to be places for ideas, not ideologies.

That sounds inspiring in theory. In practice, it raises harder questions. What does healthy dialogue actually look like on campus right now? How do students learn to navigate disagreement without collapsing into silence, defensiveness, or division? And what role should universities play in helping them build those skills?

Host Day Kibilds is joined by two student leaders who are doing this work in real time. Kathleen Parks, student body vice president at Texas A&M University, and Mac Mahoney, president of the Dartmouth Political Union at Dartmouth College, share what it takes to create spaces for conversation, respectful disagreement, and meaningful exchange among peers.

Together, they explore the difference between safe spaces and brave spaces, the importance of shared values and trust, and why civil discourse is not just a campus ideal but a lifelong skill. This episode is about what happens when students are given the chance to practice dialogue with honesty, humility, and courage, and why that matters far beyond graduation.

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Episode’s Main Topics

Creating Spaces for Dialogue

Day introduces two student leaders who are building real opportunities for conversation, disagreement, and reflection on their campuses. Kathleen Parks of Texas A&M and Mac Mahoney of Dartmouth join the episode to talk about what it takes to create dialogue in practice and why these spaces matter now.

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The Role of College in Broadening Perspectives

Both guests reflect on college as a formative time for developing beliefs, values, and intellectual independence. They describe higher education as a place where students should learn how to think, not simply what to think, and where exposure to different viewpoints is a crucial part of growth.

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Safe Spaces vs. Brave Spaces

Kathleen and Mac offer two different but complementary ways of thinking about dialogue. At Texas A&M, shared core values help create a safe foundation for conversation. At Dartmouth, Mac describes the goal as a “brave space,” where students can encounter discomfort, challenge assumptions, and practice responding with respect and maturity.

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Balancing Openness and Care

The conversation turns to a central tension: how do you stay open to hard ideas while also caring for students who may feel personally affected by them? Mac emphasizes the importance of addressing this directly and trusting students to engage with emotional maturity, while also making room for apology, repair, and growth when conversations go wrong.

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The Importance of Lived Experiences

Both guests reflect on how personal experience can deepen difficult conversations and make abstract issues feel human. Kathleen also shares how a peer challenged her to go beyond identity or belief labels and explain the reasoning behind her views, which became an important lesson in introspection and leadership.

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Setting Expectations for Conversations

Mac explains how the Dartmouth Political Union creates structure through weekly meetings, Chatham House rules, and norms that protect students from personal attacks and public exposure. Kathleen shares that, in less formal settings, the tone of a conversation often depends on how leaders show up through listening, humility, and active respect.

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Encouraging Participation in Discussions

The episode explores why some students hesitate to join these conversations. Fear of saying the wrong thing, social pressure, and general disengagement all play a role. Kathleen and Mac both argue that universities need to create lower-stakes entry points where students can listen, learn, and practice without fear of permanent judgment.

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The Importance of Disengagement and Learning

Kathleen reflects on the reality that not every student wants to participate and that some are simply overwhelmed by the demands of college life. Even so, both guests emphasize that learning how to engage across disagreement is part of the educational experience and that students deserve protected opportunities to build that skill.

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Building Community for Difficult Conversations

Mac explains that dialogue cannot happen in isolation. Students are more likely to have tough conversations when they already feel socially connected to one another outside of politics. Building camaraderie, trust, and community creates the conditions where disagreement can be productive instead of divisive.

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The Role of Universities in Supporting Dialogue

Both guests stress that this work needs institutional support. Mac points to leadership, faculty buy-in, and student representation as essential to making dialogue efforts meaningful. Kathleen shares how Texas A&M includes students in university decision-making and is investing in campus-wide civil discourse efforts.

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Leveraging Expertise for Civil Discourse

Kathleen highlights several Texas A&M initiatives, including the Aggie Lyceum, a new student organization called The Stance, and an upcoming civil discourse symposium. These efforts show how institutions can use their own faculty expertise, leadership infrastructure, and programming to equip students with the tools to navigate disagreement thoughtfully.

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Preparing Students for Real-World Conversations

Civil discourse is framed not just as a campus value, but as a real-world skill. Kathleen and Mac both argue that students need practice now, while the stakes are lower, so they are better prepared for difficult conversations in workplaces, leadership roles, and communities after graduation.

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Advice for Creating Healthier Dialogue

When asked what advice they would give another campus, Kathleen emphasizes that each institution must build around its own culture, mission, and student body. Mac adds that there is no perfect model and that meaningful progress often requires bold action, student buy-in, and a willingness to accept that not everyone will agree with the approach.

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Hope for Future Civil Discourse

The episode closes on a hopeful note. Kathleen sees encouragement in Texas A&M’s growing investment in civil discourse. Mac points to a rising appetite among younger students for better conversation and healthier disagreement. Together, they suggest that students are not only ready for this work, but eager for it.

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Resources Mentioned in This Episode

The Reputation Rethink (Ologie Research Report)
Download the full report and explore the findings and recommendations.

Day’s Blog about the Report
Read more commentary and thoughts from Day about the research findings from The Reputation Rethink.

Dartmouth Political Union
A student-run, nonpartisan political organization at Dartmouth College that hosts weekly discussions and debates on major political issues. The organization encourages students to engage respectfully with a wide range of viewpoints and develop the skills needed for civil discourse.

Aggie Lyceum (Texas A&M University)
A nonpartisan program focused on civil discourse, media literacy, and civic engagement that helps students practice dialogue, empathy, and leadership through guided conversations and workshops.

Texas A&M Civil Discourse Symposium
A university-led initiative designed to bring students together with public leaders and experts to discuss civic leadership, dialogue, and respectful disagreement through panels, conversations, and student-led sessions.

The Stance (Student Organization at Texas A&M)
A student-led organization dedicated to promoting civil discourse and helping students practice respectful conversations across political and ideological differences.

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