By Rachel Konieczny
News Assignment Editor
Two years ago, John Stevens went to an Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities (AFCU) conference with several people from St. Bonaventure and the University of St. Francis in Joliet (Illinois), giving him the idea for a discussion group on campus.
Stevens formed Franc Chats, a group, he said, whose purpose is to promote civil discourse on campus.
“[The Franc Chat facilitators] finally came to the point where we want to do a one-hour facilitator training course,” Stevens said. “The question would be, ‘What would be included in that?’”
Stevens, a Franc Chat facilitator, assists discussions alongside fellow Franc Chat facilitators Mary-Rose Kubal and Anne-Claire Fisher.
Bringing the idea from St. Francis to Bonaventure, response was positive, he said.
Kubal, a political science professor, brought the idea of Franc Chats to Barry Gan. Gan, a professor of philosophy and the director of nonviolence program, facilitated conversations for the faculty senate alongside Stevens.
“I got a sense in my group that people [thought], ‘Oh, I’m being listened to,’” Kubal said. “They thought that they were saying things that maybe weren’t going to be popular. I think they were surprised that people took their points seriously, and they weren’t recorded.”
Gan said the typical Franc Chat group size is seven to nine people.
“If you get much beyond that, people start slacking, dominating or arguing,” Stevens said. “We feel that the Franc Chat format and the numbers that we’re talking about for a particular group [follows] the research for the ideal size of a group to have a productive conversation.”
Stevens said Franc Chat facilitators plan to continue the discussions, which will include the topics of enrollment and education, early next semester.
“At this point, we’re persisting, and we’re trying to develop a habit for the university, but we are experiencing [less participation],” Fisher said. “It seems to be strategic planning and [Franc Chat facilitators and participants] discussing together on a regular basis, but it’s better than nothing.”
Stevens said some participants in prior facilitation sessions held diametrically opposing views.
“The people that had the different points of view now heard from other people in the group what they thought, and it kind of tempered their view of things a little bit,” Stevens said. “I think it made it much more productive.”
Students and faculty can view previous discussions at moodlegroups2.sbu.edu/. The facilitators can be contacted at: acfisher@sbu.edu, mkubal@sbu.edu and jstevens@sbu.edu.
