Agenda

Your registration fee includes full access to all conference sessions and materials, access to the networking reception on Wednesday, breakfast and lunch on Thursday, and breakfast on Friday, as well as refreshments and snacks throughout the conference.

1:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Our expert speakers will provide the foundational and historical context that outlines how higher ed institutions have moved from perpetuating resistance that oppresses minority groups to fostering inclusive and positive change. You will be able to critically reflect on this historic-to-present-day timeline while identifying at least one or more incidents on your own campus that may require a strategic university response.  

Subtle signs from student groups, social media chatter, or increased participation in student organization efforts could all be examples of “red flags,” alerting campus leaders that an event may turn into a potentially large-scale incident that draws campus-wide attention. In this session, you will be presented with a list of guiding questions to consider when determining what issues might be surfacing on your campus that may cause future concern. Participants will be able to assess their current campus landscape and begin to identify early intervention strategies.

This informal reception is your chance to decompress, have a drink on us, and expand your network of connections. Our programs are intentionally designed for smaller groups, which means you will have the opportunity to meet your peers and our speakers face-to-face.

8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Our expert speakers will present in-depth case studies on their own experiences about managing student protests and/or sit-ins in partnership with campus leadership. Details including the root of the issue, how it evolved, how it was responded to and managed, the campus’ reaction to the response, and what the aftermath looked like will be reviewed and discussed. You will have the opportunity to learn from these scenarios and create a short list of best practices and lessons that you’ve learned that you can apply to your own campus.

Controversial campus speakers, attempts to oppress free speech, or hate speech are just some examples of contentious issues that campus leaders may face when individuals or groups of students activate and demand opposition or resistance. You will discuss tensions that may cause strains in communication channels and explore new ways to facilitate meaningful cross-cultural dialogue amidst these difficult moments.

In small groups, you will be assigned one of three possible scenarios: student protest, campus sit-in, or controversial campus speaker. You will work on your response strategy and will be presented with additional facts for each scenario that may require some adjustment to your strategy. The simulation will compel participants to think about the following: who the core response team members will be, what audiences need to be addressed and through what communication channels, what talking points need to be covered, identifying support networks and policy enforcement considerations. You will receive a protocol guide that you can use to plan and strategize when these types of situations surface on campus. We will also use this time to debrief the simulation and discuss some of the challenges, new strategies, or lessons they learned. Our expert speakers will provide their own observations and reactions to each group’s approach to their assigned scenario.

Bias or hate incidents intend to target or marginalize people based on their social, political, racial, gender, or religious identities. When these events occur, feelings of confusion, hurt, and frustration often perpetuate throughout campus. We will discuss strategies on how to a) recognize a bias incident, b) coordinate efforts for the core response team, c) review considerations when developing a response, d) execute the plan, and e) restore and repair harm inflicted on the campus community.

Small groups will be designated and each group will be presented with a bias incident case study. Each group will serve as external consultants and assist their institution (in the case study) with a design and plan to help their campus recover from the bias incident. You will discuss the following key considerations when proposing their plan: who makes up the core response team, what are the top priorities that need to be addressed, what will the communication strategy be, and what kind of efforts will restore harm inflicted on the campus community.

8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Knowing who to adequately prepare and train as a member of your core response team is one of the most critical parts of implementing and executing the appropriate protocol. Using the previously discussed campus scenarios, you will examine key considerations when determining who should serve on the core response team. You will be able to identify at least 3-5 key members of the core response team who will take the lead in responding to these types of incidents on campus.

You will review one of your own campus scenarios and facilitate an audit of members involved in devising and executing the campus response. You will then examine: who was involved, why were they selected, and what training, resources, or tools were at their disposal? Were they effective – why or why not? Was anyone missing? This information will help you make decisions when assembling the ideal core response team.