Division of Campus Life

Strengthening Community Amid Conflict: Student Engagement & Experience

Programming and events to enhance student engagement and experience.

Units across the Division of Campus Life routinely offer opportunities for students to find a sense of belonging, engage in open inquiry, build relationships across differences, and sustain their health and wellbeing.

As part of the University's Strengthening Community Amid Conflict efforts, throughout the spring semester, Campus Life departments will be offering programs, workshops, and events to build skills for engaging in dialogue, deepen understanding and engagement with complex issues, provide individual and community care, and support the development of healthy practices. 

The programs and workshops listed below represent a sample of initiatives in Campus Life relevant to current campus climate. Additional programs and events will be developed and offered in response to emerging issues and needs.

Guest Speakers

Dr. Raul Fernandez – Deeper Learning for Systematic Change
(Open to residential undergraduates)
In this lecture, Dr. Fernandez will discuss educational equity, with a focus on racial and economic equity, and what campuses and educators can do to further anti-racism practices.
Spring 2024 (details TBD)
Hosted by the Office of Residential Life

Dr. Sa’ed Atshan – K. Brooke Anderson Lecture
(Open to the Brown Community)
This year’s K. Brooke Anderson Lecture, given by Dr. Sa’ed Atshan, will focus on social justice and peacebuilding in interfaith contexts. 
Thursday, March 14
Hosted by the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, the Department of Religious Studies, and the Swearer Center

Workshops & Training

Workshop: Active Listening
(Open to all students)
This workshop introduces participants to components of active listening and explores types of listening, what gets in the way of listening, and the six questions you could consider while you are listening. 
Dates and times throughout spring semester; for details, email koren_bakkegard@brown.edu
Hosted by Brown’s Community Dialogue Project (CDP)

Workshop: Difficult Conversations
(Open to all students)
This workshop introduces participants to the three types of difficult conversations and how to reframe difficult conversations to learning conversations. By reframing assumptions, this workshop helps participants model how to discuss what matters most.  
Dates and times throughout spring semester; for details, email koren_bakkegard@brown.edu
Hosted by Brown’s Community Dialogue Project (CDP)

Workshop: Giving and Receiving Feedback
(Open to all students)
This workshop introduces participants to the concepts of reinforcing and redirecting feedback as tools for strengthening relationships, motivating behavior change, and improving interpersonal outcomes. 
Dates and times throughout spring semester; for details, email koren_bakkegard@brown.edu
Hosted by Brown’s Community Dialogue Project (CDP)

Workshop: Perspective Taking
(Open to all students)
This workshop introduces participants to strategies for perceiving or understanding a concept from another person’s point of view. This session also explores the benefits of perspective taking such as counteracting bias, improving conflict resolution, and stabilizing relationships.
Dates and times throughout spring semester; for details, email koren_bakkegard@brown.edu
Hosted by Brown’s Community Dialogue Project (CDP)

Discussion: "Where Are You From? Exploring New Paradigms for Place and Identity"
(Open to Sheridan Center staff)
This discussion will focus on the ways that “Where are you from” can be an othering process for marginalized communities and international students. We will explore new paradigms for how to respectfully learn about and honor people’s lived experiences.
Wednesday, March 27, 1 to 2 p.m.
Hosted by the Global Brown Center for International Students

Community Building, Care and Support

Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC) SWANA Heritage Series
(Open to all undergraduate, graduate and medical students)
The BCSC's SWANA (Southwest Asian North African) Heritage Series kicks off on February 8 with the SWANA Community Welcome Back Event, which will include a SWANA & ARAB Society film screening with snacks for the community. On March 8, the SWANA Heritage Series will host their annual End of the Year Gala.
For details and more information, email BCSC@brown.edu.
Hosted by Brown Center for Students of Color 

BWell Survivor Support Group
(Open to all undergraduate, graduate and medical students)
A support group for survivors of sexual and relationship harm. Would you like support from others who understand? Do you want to build community and heal together? Every session will center privacy, consent, and respect. Students of all genders are welcome. 
Tuesdays at 5:15 – 6:30 p.m. beginning on February 6. Email bwell@health.brown.edu for location and date information.
Hosted by BWell Health Promotion

Chronic Community
(Open to all undergraduate, graduate and medical students)
Designed to support Brown students living with chronic illness. Each week, we explore relevant themes, discuss coping strategies and build a supportive community on campus.
Mondays at 6:45 p.m. from February 12 to May 6. BWell Family Room (ground floor of the Health & Wellness Center, 450 Brook St.)
Hosted by BWell Health Promotion

Global Brown Center Spring Events Series
(Open to Brown students)
The Global Brown Center for International Students hosts a series of community, cultural, and educational events for the Brown student community throughout the spring semester, kicked off with the Community Care and Welcome Back Event on February 7. 
For details and more information, visit Events@Brown.
Hosted by the Global Brown Center for International Students

Residential Life Community Coordinator Programming
(Open to residential undergraduates)
Throughout the semester, Community Coordinators host programs in the residence halls, allowing students to come together in a casual, familiar, and informal setting to explore their individual and collective perspectives on topics of belonging and difference.
Students should contact their community coordinator for details.
Hosted by the Office of Residential Life

Residential Life Area Coordinator Programming
(Open to residential undergraduates)
Throughout the semester, Area Coordinators will moderate "fireside" chats with faculty and students, exploring their individual and collective perspectives on topics of belonging and difference.
Students should contact their area coordinator for details.
Hosted by the Office of Residential Life

Restorative Circles
(Open to Brown students, faculty, and staff)
Hosted by Restorative Justice Facilitators, Restorative Circles provide opportunities to participate in a facilitated circle to process emotions. 
Dates and times throughout spring semester; for details, email kirsten_wolfe@brown.edu.
Hosted jointly by the Division of Campus Life and the College