4D Symposium Morning Session 1

How to Be an Ethical Sellout

Elise Goss-Alexander – Director, Student Employment

Track: Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Staff, Faculty, Community Members

In their book The Ethical Sellout, renowned DEI practitioner Lily Zheng says out loud the quiet part we all know: we live in a world that requires compromise of us all, and that is especially true for people whose work or field of study intersects with their values or identities. Appeals to moral absolutism make it difficult for us to engage in character-based decision making and to work constructively with others. Using Zheng’s framework, we will work together through real-life example of “impossible choices” our community members face and collectively build empathy for ourselves and others in navigating them.

Building Blocks of Connection: Communication Skills to Build Relationships

Cris Tietsort – 4D Faculty Fellow & Assistant Professor, Communication Studies | Mary McGann - Undergraduate Student

Track: Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students

Meaningful relationships matter. But more and more people find themselves not having the relationships they want. In this interactive workshop, Dr. Cris Tietsort reviews core communication skills that help build the foundation for strong relationships both new and ongoing.

Making a Digital Collection of Your Student Staff Experience

Yoke Tassent - Resident Director, Nelson & Nagel Halls

Track: Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students

The days are long, but the years are short. We do so much every single day. At times, it can be hard to remember the specific actions we have taken, the skills we have gained, and the impact we have on others within our role(s). However, these moments are critical launching points for conversations with future employers and interviews. Join this interactive workshop and build a digital collection of your student staff experience. During this session, you will be prompted with reflection questions to consider different aspects of the role. You will be given a document to input these experiences so that they can be easily accessed in the future.

Unpacking Compulsory Sexuality

Evelyn Stovin – Undergraduate Student | Krystoff Kissoon - Assistant Director of Social Justice Education

Track: Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Staff, Faculty, Community Members

Together we will explore how white hetero-patriarchal structures are recreated within mainstream queer culture and how understanding asexuality through a Black feminist lens is essential to liberating our minds and bodies.

Debate Across the Curriculum: How Non-Competitive Debating Can Transform Classroom Engagement

Darrin Hicks – Director of Debate Across the Curriculum | Steve Johnson - Associate Director of Debate Across the Curriculum | Debate Across the Curriculum Participants

Track: Undergraduate Students, Faculty, Community Members

This panel introduces DU's Debate Across the Curriculum (DAC) Program, now in its third year. DAC enhances students' civic advocacy skills while promoting reflection on civil discourse in a pluralistic society. With over 175 classroom debates completed, both students and faculty report improved learning and classroom engagement. Program evaluations show multiple benefits for participants, including increased intellectual curiosity and humility, greater comfort sharing views in class, more empathy for differing positions, and decreased affective polarization. This session will cover the program's pedagogical foundations, operational details, and feature faculty who have incorporated DAC debates, sharing how it has enhanced their teaching.