Public Forums

The Public Forum project is a public discussion initiative aimed to:

1. Involve the campus and extended community in civil discussion of critical issues,

2. Consider issues on local, regional, national and global levels, and

3. Reclaim the tradition and art of public discourse.

Students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to attend and participate in all Public Forum events. The  CCE also welcomes new topics and ideas, so if you have a forum topic, email us! Visit the WSU Library Guide on the Public Forum Initiative for more information.

What Are Public Forums?

A public forum is an open discussion where citizens, experts, and leaders come together to share their thoughts and opinions on a topic. At WSU, the CCE's public forum program aims to connect WSU students, employees and community members through discussion on important issues that impact us all. All public forums are free, open to everyone, and everyone is welcome to share their thoughts on the discussion topic in a respectful way.

The CCE currently holds three types of public forums: debates (previously known as Under the Big Tents), reflections, and conversations.

Debates involve a group of panelists with varying opinions on a topic all sharing their stances on the issue. After the panelists share their views, the audience is invited to engage them in civil discussion through asking questions and adding their comments.

Reflections invite experts on an issue impacting our community to join students and others in a discussion of how the issue impacts us and what we can do to positively improve our community. Reflection creates a bridge between participation in service and understanding of the issues service seeks to address by providing a way to discover what we have learned from our engagement in service through observation and analysis of the experience and the impact of service.

Finally, conversations offer students and other participants the chance to learn more about a specific issue in an informal setting directed by experts on the topic.

Live Streaming

What if you can't make the debate, but you're interested in participating? No problem! The Center for Civic Engagement will be live streaming select events on our Ustream Public Forums channel at www.ustream.tv/channel/public-forums or through AMS at mss://windowsmedia.wsu.edu/stream. These events will also be recorded and posted online, so you can watch the events at your convenience. If you would like to ask questions of the panelists at a distance during an event, simply use the chat feature! Events available to students at a distance through live streaming will be noted in the event description. If you are having trouble accessing the AMS live stream system, please click here for instructions and help.

Next Public Forum

Check back in fall 2013!