Around 200 students attended the OpenXChange Listening Dinner to express their concerns regarding Stanford to 33 university administrators, professors and trustees in McCaw Hall on Monday.
“The real point of this is to listen to what your thoughts are,” Provost John Etchemendy Ph.D. ’82 said to the eight students at his table before opening remarks by Vice Provost Harry Elam. “I’d be happy to answer questions, but unless you want me to, I’ll just listen.”
Etchemendy’s words echoed the sentiment of the event, as conversations were noticeably cordial. Administrators at the dinner, including President John Hennessy, had all agreed to simply sit and listen. One student at each table took notes to be compiled and discussed at the next OpenXChange committee meeting, in which a plan of action will be made.
Elam began the night by explaining the impetus for the dinner, stating that Dean for Religious Life Jane Shaw came up with the idea so that students across campus could “communicate and commune together in different and productive ways.”
“This idea speaks directly to the goals of OpenXChange, which are to cultivate and support a space for informed and open discussion across campus and across diverse social issues,” Elam said.
Addressing concerns which had been raised by critics of the OpenXChange program regarding its alleged power imbalance, Elam said that this dinner gave administrators the opportunity to engage with students without the veil of authority typically present when the two groups interact.
In addition to discussing the major campus climate issues from last year — Black Lives Matter, divestment from companies in Israel, mental health and sexual assault — students brought up issues ranging from graduate student housing to supporting low-income students.
“Students are getting more sensitive to other people’s feelings in realizing that people come from different backgrounds,” Hennessy said.
Although over 1,000 students entered the ticket lottery and 300 received tickets, only about 200 attended. Etchemendy said the organizers could have made it clearer that there was a waiting list. However, he was pleased with the level of intellectual and polite discussion from those who did attend as it seemed like they were able to park any preconceived notions at the door and come in with an open mind.
“It was a good start at community dialogue, and I hope there can be actionable results,” Charles Lu ’18 said.
Going forward, the OpenXChange initiative will put on six “Open Office Hours” sessions in which a panel will provide more information on a pressing campus or world issue and invite students to express their positions on the issue. Dean of the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences Pamela Matson will lead the first discussion, focused on climate change. Upcoming Open Office Hours will feature human rights, immigration, Black Lives Matter and mental health concerns, according to Elam.
The vice provost emphasized that this dinner would not be the last and that he hopes the conversation will continue.
“Tonight is a beginning and not an end in itself,” Elam said.
Contact Tristan Vanech at tvanech ‘at’ stanford.edu.