Civil Dialogue at UWEC: Building Bridges and Strengthening Civic Muscles

At the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC), a new approach to fostering understanding and connection among students is taking root, and it’s one that can inspire campuses across the nation. Amid growing concerns that students feel uncomfortable sharing their views—or even considering others'—UWEC is stepping up as a leader in promoting freedom of expression and civil discourse on campus.

Fall 2023: A Pilot for Change

In the Fall of 2023, UWEC launched a pilot study to explore the power of civil dialogue. They joined the more than 200 other colleges and universities across the country to implement the Unify Challenge College Bowl —a virtual, one-on-one, guided conversation where students were paired with politically different peers from other universities. The goal? To help students build their civic muscles by engaging in conversations at a national level across lines of difference.

The results were encouraging. Before the conversations began, many students reported feeling nervous. Yet, something remarkable happened as they talked. By the end of their conversations, students felt more optimistic, inspired, invigorated, and excited about engaging with others who held different views. A whopping 94% of participants said they found "quite a bit" or "a great deal" of common ground with their partners. Additionally, 77% of students enjoyed the conversations, and 100% reported that their partners treated them with respect.

Real Voices, Real Impact

The feedback from students who participated was powerful. One student shared, “I am glad that I participated because I gained valuable perspective as well as respect for the view in opposition to my own.” Another reflected, “I felt a little more optimistic about the country afterwards, that we could actually work together and maybe find some common ground.”

These reflections reveal the heart of what we’re aiming for at Unify America: fostering a spirit of collaboration, respect, and understanding across differences. As one student put it, “I was envisioning an hour-long bloodbath Zoom call with someone who would be attacking me the whole time... however, the questions were worded very well to facilitate actual conversation and encourage finding middle ground... I learned that people of any political affiliation can agree on core values underlying an issue, even if we have different ideas on how to solve the problem.”