The Civil Discourse Club Hosts Infectious Disease Specialist for Discussion on COVID-19
Seniors Cameron Cooper and Mihret Melaku co-founded the Civil Discourse Club in their sophomore year with the goal of reducing polarization. Mihret notes, “Oftentimes it seems like we are in an echo chamber of everyone agreeing with each other… The Civil Discourse Club gives us an opportunity to listen to angles we didn’t consider so we have a more well-rounded perspective.” Cameron adds that the Club “strives to give people a voice who may be intimidated by politics” and that the emphasis is always to “hear everyone out.”
While the transition to a remote setting has been difficult, the Civil Discourse Club continues to meet to discuss current events and pressing issues. In November, the Club hosted a moderated discussion with infectious disease specialist Dr. Daniel Winetsky from Columbia University to talk about the pandemic. “We wanted people to know how to be safe straight from the source, not have opinionated news,” Cameron concluded.
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