Constitution Day Dialogue: Affirming our Commitment to Diversity and Democracy

Join fellow Terps for an afternoon of dialogue about the recent Supreme Court decisions relating to race-conscious considerations for higher education admissions. The Maryland Democracy Initiative invites you to engage in discussion about how we can best move forward to affirm and ensure the University of Maryland attracts, supports, serves and prepares all Maryland students for life, work and participation in our shared democracy.

Registration is required for this event. It is open to current UMD students, faculty, and staff. We encourage you to register soon, as we anticipate the event will reach capacity quickly.

Check-in: 12:30 p.m. (Please plan to arrive with enough time to check in.)

Program: 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (The event will start promptly at 1:00 p.m.)

• Welcome and introduction to the Maryland Democracy Initiative and the goals for this dialogue
• Overview of recent Supreme Court cases related to race-conscious considerations for higher education admissions
• Moderated conversation - University and College leadership
• Community dialogue with all attendees in small groups
• Community reporting and Q&A
• Closing and Refreshments

Refreshments: 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The organizers of this event believe it will benefit from a diverse, dynamic, welcoming, and respectful community. We recognize that respect looks different for each community and individual, so we would like to share with event participants what we mean by “respect.” Please review the following discussion norms and guidelines. By registering for this event, you affirm that you will adhere to them. If you have any questions or concerns before or during the event, please contact us.

• We encourage all participants to speak from their own experiences.
• We will collectively explore and question each other's ideas, not each other’s identities.
• We will be mindful of how much space we take up individually (the length and frequency of our comments) and invite others to share space to ensure that all voices feel included and heard.
• We will listen to understand first rather than respond. We will be present and avoid interrupting others.
• When we find that we disagree, we’ll ask questions to better understand our different perspectives.

Speakers:

• Antoine Jevon Banks, Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Government and Politics, College of Behavioral & Social Sciences; Director of the Government and Politics Research Lab; Maryland Democracy Initiative team member
• Paul Edmund Brown, Associate Clinical Professor, School of Public Policy; Director, Civic Innovation Center, School of Public Policy; Maryland Democracy Initiative team member
• Kimberly A. Griffin, Dean and Professor, College of Education
• Rafael Lorente, Dean and Professor of the Practice, Philip Merrill College of Journalism; Maryland Democracy Initiative team member
• Sarah Oates, Associate Dean, Research; Professor; Senior Scholar, Philip Merrill College of Journalism; Maryland Democracy Initiative team member
• Robert C. Orr, Dean, School of Public Policy
• Jennifer King Rice, Senior Vice President and Provost
• Susan M. Rivera, Dean, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
• Lena Morreale Scott, Director of the Civic Education & Engagement Initiative, College of Education; Principal Investigator, Maryland Democracy Initiative
• Janelle Wong, Director, Asian American Studies; Professor, American Studies and Government and Politics, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

We would like to thank the University of Maryland Grand Challenges Program for their support and our campus partners in the Words of Engagement: Intergroup Dialogue Program of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Diversity Training & Education for their assistance in shaping this event. In honor of National Voter Registration Day on September 19th, we are also pleased our campus partners TerpVote accepted our invitation to set up a voter registration table at the event.