CSUB students selected for Intercollegiate Civil Disagreement Partnership

Students learn how to facilitate productive political conversations amid high polarization

By California State University, Bakersfield

November 20^th, 2023

Two California State University, Bakersfield students and one alumnus have been appointed as senior fellows for the 2023-24 Intercollegiate Civil Disagreement Partnership (ICDP).

ICDP is a consortium of five colleges and universities that provides students with training on how to navigate challenging political and cultural conversations and reduce political polarization through civil dialogue.

Representing CSUB this academic year are Dylan Jones, Abigail Rodela and Carmen Tomshack. They will each receive a $2,500 honorarium for their participation in the program, a collaboration between CSUB’s Kegley Institute of Ethics (KIE), Stanford University, Harvard University in Massachusetts, St. Philip’s College in Texas and Santa Fe College in Florida.

“We have an amazing group of three senior fellows — two current students and an alum,” said Interim KIE Director Nate Olson. “The innovative partnership allows our students to get an understanding of how discourse on difficult issues, like the current conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip, plays out on different campuses. They develop skills and bring back ideas that we can use to promote productive conversations on our campus.”

Rodela and Tomshack are examining what civil dialogue is like at CSUB and will share their findings and insights with fellows from the other participating campuses. They will then develop a list of partnerships or interventions focused on improving civil disagreement skills and experiences at the university.

Tomshack is double majoring in philosophy and religious studies. She plans to pursue graduate school and become an educator. She said she’s appreciated her time in the program so far.

“My experience in ICDP has led me to become a more empathetic and socially confident individual who welcomes different opinions and seeks conflict resolution in both professional and personal relations,” she said.

Rodela is double majoring in philosophy and music and plans to complete graduate work before going to law school.

“ICDP has allowed me to acquire skills such as relationship building, communication, compromise, facilitation and collaboration, enabling me to have an open mind and heart when interacting with individuals who live, think and express themselves differently than me,” she said.

Although Jones graduated from CSUB in the spring with his bachelor’s degree in history, he is still participating in ICDP this year as a Landscape Research Senior Fellow. In this specialized role, Jones is looking at larger trends in civil discourse programs across the country.

The Landscape Research Senior Fellows hope to find programs, universities and funders who share ICDP’s commitment to bridge-building, civil disagreement and civic dialogue so that they can broaden their reach and have a positive impact on more campuses.