Communicating in a Political Climate
February 19, 2024 |
With an ever increasing polarization in politics, Xavier’s Take It On Initiative was designed to help students engage in respectful dialogue to understand multiple perspectives on significant issues. The program works to increase civic engagement on campus and promote peaceful engagement in discussion. Last fall an Associate Professor in the communication department, Dr. Andrew Zolides, assumed the role of Director for Take It On.
Since 2017, Dr. Zolides has been teaching courses within the Digital Media major, such as Understanding New Media, Advanced Digital Media, and the Digital Media senior seminar. Before coming to Xavier, he received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he spent five years as a Lecturer and Teaching Assistant. He says that “it was exactly the type of institution I hoped I could work at. I always wanted to be at a teaching-focused university, as a love of teaching and mentoring undergraduate students was always the primary reason I wished to get my PhD and go into the academy.” Dr. Zolides shared that his interest in researching “how politics have been instilled with celebrity discourses and what this means for our understanding of representative democracy and personal citizenship” led to his interest in the Take It On initiative.
In his new role as director of Take It On, Dr. Zolides is responsible for coordinating with student ambassadors and other student groups to plan events and programs to engage the Xavier community. Although in the past the Take It On initiative had been supported primarily by students and faculty from the political science department, Dr. Zolides was motivated by a desire to “help encourage and enable students to civically engage with the world around them.” He added that “Take It On is in many ways, dealing with fundamental communication issues: how do we talk about difficult, politically-charged topics in a way that benefits everyone present and respects everyone’s humanity? Communication theories and practice can provide a lot of insight into doing this well.”
The Take It On initiative recently partnered with Xavier’s Women in Politics club to host a panel discussion with 11 female public officials from Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati. The stories and experiences shared by the women was “an inspiring experience, particularly seeing how many of these women didn’t always set out to become civic leaders, showing that anyone from any background, major, or community can take on these roles,” shared Dr. Zolides.
Earlier this year a Voter Information Forum was held to prepare voters for the election by explaining the issues on the Hamilton County ballot in clear language, making it easy for anyone to understand what the election was about. Students in attendance were able to ask questions in a safe space in order to gain more information about the important issues. This spring, Take It On will be hosting a student-run series called “Prepping for the Election 2024” to allow for open discussion of the issues, as well as the ability to address any questions or concerns. The importance of Take It On is deeply connected to responding to an increasingly fragmented media and political landscape. Dr. Zolides believes if Take It On can “provide the tools and opportunities for the Xavier community to build those skills and practice those habits, we can better fulfill Xavier’s mission of creating men and women for others.”
Dr. Zolides says that “one of my major goals as director of Take It On is to make it more of an experience for all students on campus, not just those already interested or engaged in politics through their classes or student groups. One thing every one of our students share no matter what is that they are citizens of the world – and that means we all have a responsibility to take part in discussions about what that world is and how it ought to work. This is the heart of civic engagement, and I want to help make that more accessible, more understandable, and more inclusive for the entire Xavier community.”
Pictured: Dr. Andrew Zolides
