Disability, mask or no mask, vaccination, political division, equality, etc. are all issues that have divided campuses and the wider society over the past two years.
Having civil discussions on such topics can be challenging and difficult conversations. Western Carolina’s student government leadership is trying to provide the talking tools and practice to have such conversations.
Earlier this week SGA started their Whee Should Talk series with a talk on different ways people talk through and handle conflict with Dr. Scott Eldredge.
Scott Eldredge, Department Head of Communication at WCU, presented the first event of the series. The title was “Difficult Conversations: Improving Relationships through Conflict.” Eldredge discussed the importance of conversation and how conflict can strengthen relationships.
The new series is a reboot of their “Whee Talk” series from 2018 and 2020. Whee Talk’s were more of a TedTalk for students. Whee Should Talk’s focus is on maintaining civil discourse on an interpersonal level on campus.
The Student Government Association’s goal is to give students and faculty a safe place to practice difficult conversations.
Jarrod Seifert, a sophomore and campus tour guide, said “The best outcome is based on the best approach for that specific situation.” It is not always best to be avoidant, but it can be beneficial when it comes to being potentially hurt.
“I realized a lot of conflicts are bigger than what we think the conflict is about,” Rebecca Hart, SGA President, said. At times that conflict arises and faces become heated with anger. The anger can be from outside forces such as stress or other personal experiences that others don’t know about.
Many of WCU leadership was present at the talk including the chancellor, Dr. Kelli Brown, and the provost, Dr. Richard Starnes.
“My biggest takeaway is that I can only control myself and not others’ behaviors,” Brown said. At the end of the day, there is one person that you can control and that is yourself.
With more Whee Should Talk events coming up at the end of March and possibly April, the topics will go deeper into specific areas and subjects.
The event only skimmed the surface of what conflict is and how it affects relationships with others. Eldredge will teach conflict resolution as a 300- level communication course during the fall 2022 semester.
If there is a difficult topic you’d like to have at Whee Should Talk, call 828.227.7299 or direct message them on Instagram or Facebook.
