About 100 members of the GW community gathered in small groups throughout the National 4-H Conference center in Chevy Chase, Md., and discussed topics relevant to GW and the larger society: political polarization, policing in schools, climate change and immigration among others.
The groups shared their own experiences with the topics, identified problems and developed actions that they could bring back to GW’s campus, and to their lives, to address the identified problems.
The activity was part of the third-annual Posse Plus Retreat, a three-day retreat held in mid-winter facilitated by the Posse Organization and hosted by GW’s Posse Scholars. Participants included students, faculty and staff, all of whom spent the weekend discussing how pressing national issues affect our campuses.
At the start of the 2019-2020 academic year, 40 Posse Foundation Scholars will be on GW’s campus after its inaugural cohort of scholars enrolled in the fall 2016.
The university selects students to attend GW as Posse Scholars in groups of 10, a posse. The numbers allow them to support each other and to increase diversity and community engagement at GW. One primary way is through the annual Posse Plus Retreat. Posse Scholars invite “plussers” who they think would benefit from the conversations among campus members who might not ordinarily interact. Each of the past three retreats had about 100 participants.
“I appreciate PPR 2019 very much for the conversations it facilitated, which would otherwise be inaccessible without sacrificing civility and an open, unjudging mind,” said Chris Zuniga, a first-year student who said he felt compelled to share more about his own political background. “Rational and representative opinions need to be heard.”
Mark Ralkowski, an associate professor of honors and philosophy, said that although the retreat focuses on topics that affect the country and our campus, “we take time to get to know each other and recognize each other through engaging group activities and group discussions.” He said the conversations are unlike those had “anywhere else on campus.”
“They're more honest, more direct and more rewarding because people approach the weekend with open hearts and open minds, and we talk about everything, especially the hardest things,” he said.
This year’s topic, “State of Our Union,” was selected by Posse Scholars to celebrate of the 30th anniversary of The Posse Foundation and provided an opportunity for attendees to discuss how we felt about the state of our union and our society with its growing polarization. Previous years have featured conversations around the themes of “Hate, Hope and Race” and “Us vs. Them.”
Provost Forrest Maltzman, who attended his third Posse Plus Retreat, said he has been impressed with students at each of the retreats. “They have respectful conversations about polarizing issues, while also thinking about how to make change on GW’s campus and in their own communities,” he said. “These are the leaders of tomorrow, and I have learned so much from them at the Posse Plus Retreat.”
The GW Posse On-Campus Organization grew out of the retreats. It will implement programming and conversations around two important Posse Organization ideas: to provide safe space and to challenge the idea and not the person.
The Posse Organization and its scholars want students, faculty and staff who haven’t attended the retreat in the past to feel comfortable being able to express their views in our safe space. We want them to know that they will be heard and that we’re open to all perspectives. That’s how we begin to understand each other and to be able to create the inclusive communities needed on campus.
For more information on how to attend the 2020 Posse Plus Retreat, please contact the GW Posse On-Campus Organization ([email protected].)
