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Center for Public Deliberation Events

Fall 2024

U.S. border wallPublic Challenges at the U.S. - Mexico Border
October 22, 2024
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
ACAD 300 (in the Academic Building)

Preregistration is Required

We invite you to join a public deliberation with local candidates and students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members.  Public deliberation is a great way to share your perspective and learn from others. In small group discussions, we will consider together this issue guide about the challenges we face at the US/Mexico border.

This event will be audio recorded for educational purposes only. Recordings will not be made public.

List of Candidates Who Have RSVP'ed

Sponsored by: UHD Center for Public Deliberation,  emPOWERed YOUth, UHD Student Government Association, UHD Rising, Center for Latino Studies, City of Houston Housing & Community Development, and the Texas Conservative Liberty Forum.

Spring 2024

2024 Election Online National Conversation
January 25, 2024
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CT
Online

How can we inspire a more productive discourse in the 2024 election? Please attend this deliberation and be ready to share ideas and listen to others. Moderators: Windy Lawrence, University of Houston-Downtown Lisa-Marie Napoli, Indiana University-Bloomington.

Braver Angels
February 17, 2024
9:15 am – 3:30 pm.

Are you interested in helping combat false and real polarization? Join Democrats and Republican in this courageous day-long program, working from the following guiding principles:

  • We state our views freely and fully, without fear.
  • We treat people who disagree with us with honesty, dignity and respect.
  • We welcome opportunities to engage those with whom we disagree.
  • We believe all of us have blind spots and none of us are not worth talking to.
  • We seek to disagree accurately, avoiding exaggeration and stereotypes.
  • We look for common ground where it exists and, if possible, find ways to work together.
  • We believe that, in disagreements, both sides share and learn.
  • In Braver Angels, neither side is teaching the other or giving feedback on how to think or say things differently.

Considering Our Borders: Your Input Needed

Please respond by Friday, Feb. 21.

We are working to bring people and candidates together to discuss the “border crisis.”

We would like to create a space for all of us to work through tough tensions and trade-offs and to recognize the complexity of this issue.

So that we can create an agenda that recognizes the variety of perspectives on this topic, including yours, please consider responding to the following two questions:

  1. When you think about "the border crisis," what concerns you? What bothers you personally?
  2. What are some things you think we should do to address the “border crisis’

Record your answers on this survey. Feel free to write as much as you like.

Unify America!
Feb. 27, 28, 29, and March 5, 6 & 7, 2024 
The Challenges run twice a day at 4:00 or 7:00 pm CT.
On Feb. 29 and March 6 there is also a 1:00 pm option.
Online

Together, with hundreds of college campuses across the U.S., the Unify Challenge College Bowl is a guided video conversation with a student from another university who's different from you. Together, the two of you will talk through a survey about big goals for our country. You'll cover topics like mental health, climate change, policing, student loans, and immigration. 

The experience takes about an hour. No prep needed!

Election Public Zoom Deliberation: Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus
March 26, 2024
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Online
(Online Doors close at 11:25 AM) 

Please join UHD students to deliberate together on this critical issue. 

  • Is free speech and an inclusive campus in opposition to each other? Do we have to give up one to have the other?
  • What are our roles in creating the community we wants?

Students who actively participate by contributing to discussion in each round either through text, chat, or having their camera turned on (nonverbal participation) will be entered in a raffle for prizes.

This is a recorded event.

Fall 2023

Student Public Zoom Deliberation on Social Media Regulation
October 17, 2023
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Online
(Online "Doors"" close at 11:30 a.m.)

Election Candidate Public Deliberation​Microphone on a stand with the US flag in the background
October 24, 2023
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
ACAD 300

We invite you to join a public deliberation with local candidates and other students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. Public deliberation is a great way to share your perspective and learn from others.

List of local candidates (Google Docs link) that are registered to participate in this deliberation.


This event will be audio recorded for educational purposes only. Recordings will not be made public.
This event is co-sponsored by: UHD Center for Public Deliberation, emPOWERed YOUth, UHD Student Government Association, UHD Rising, Houston Public Library, and Texas Conservative Liberty Forum

Please contact Dr. Windy Lawrence ([email protected]) or Dr. John Rountree ([email protected]​) for more information.​

US flag2024 Election Online National Conversation
November 8, 2023
3 p.m. - 4 p.m. CT
Online

How can we inspire a more productive discourse in the 2024 election? Please attend this deliberation and be ready to share ideas and listen to others. Moderators: Windy Lawrence, University of Houston-Downtown Lisa-Maire Napoli, Indiana University-Bloomington.

Voices Forward: Shaping the Future of UHD’s Strategic Communication Program

November 15, 2023
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Zoom

Zoom link to be sent after registration We invite UHD's Master of Arts in Strategic Communication (MASC) students and faculty to join the first MASC public deliberation hosted by students in Comm 5318: Community Engagement through Public Deliberation.

This will be an opportunity for MASC faculty and students to come together to discuss the MASC’s second year since the launch of the graduate program while developing and prioritizing goals that will strengthen the MASC program. This deliberation is only open to MASC students, faculty, and staff. 

We also kindly ask you to take a pre-survey to help us facilitate better discussions during the forum. 
Please send any questions or concerns to Dr. John Rountree ([email protected]). We hope to see you there!

Spring 2023

Youth & Opportunity: What Should We Do for Future Generations to Thrive?
April 11, 2023
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Note: “Zoom Doors” close at 11:45
Note: This deliberation will be held only for students and between students. It’s a great way to “practice” before attending the deliberation with candidates and members of the public.


This recorded event is part of a research study on deliberation, though no identifying information will be used. Complete information and a consent form is provided during registration.  

Contact Dr. Windy Lawrence at [email protected] for more information.

Public Deliberation: Youth and Opportunity 
April 25, 2023
1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Milam / Travis Room

We invite you to join a public deliberation with local candidates and other students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. Public deliberation is a great way to share your perspective and learn from others. In small group discussions, we will consider together this issue guide about what we should do for future generations to thrive. In small group discussions, we will consider together the issue guide for this deliberation. We will discuss what we should do for future generations to thrive.

Pre-registration is required (we are doing research at the event, so this is necessary)

Fall 2022

Election Public Zoom Deliberation: Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus
October, 19, 2022
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Virtual
(Virtual Doors close at 11:25 AM)

Please join 2022 election candidates, members of our public, students, faculty, staff, and administration to deliberate together on this critical issue. 

  • Is free speech and an inclusive campus in opposition to each other? Do we have to give up one to have the other?
  • What are our roles in creating the community we wants?

Students who actively participate by contributing to discussion in each round either through text, chat, or having their camera turned on (nonverbal participation) will be entered in a raffle for prizes.

This recorded event is part of a UHD student on deliberation, though no identifying information will be used. Complete information and a consent form will be provided upon registration. 

Empowered Youth and UHD Center for Public Deliberation: Candidate Forum
October 24, 2022
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
ACAD 300

We invite you to join candidates running for office, staff, students, faculty, and community members for an in-person Candidate Forum at the University of Houston-Downtown hosted by Empowered Youth and the UHD Center for Public Deliberation

The forum will provide university community members and candidates an opportunity to meet in small group discussions on issues important to the upcoming election. Student facilitators will guide discussion in each group, and candidates will join a different small group for each round (total of three rounds) in order to meet and interact with as many university community members as possible.

Specifically, the goals of the event are:

  1. To inform the UHD community about candidates running for elected office
  2. To raise awareness about offices on the ballot and the process of voting in the upcoming election
  3. To foster relationships between political leaders and university community members
  4. To foster learning and understanding on diverse viewpoints and experiences with electoral participation

If you have questions, please reach out to John Rountree ([email protected]) or Liza Lane ([email protected]). We hope to see you there!

Spring 2022

Young person stand in front of a neon sign that says Bright Future Enter Here Youth and Opportunity: What Should We Do for Future Generations to Thrive?
February 23, 2022
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Do you plan to vote in the primary election on March 1, 2022?  Do you want to gain more confidence and interest in participating in our democracy (or help others to do this)?

Join our public deliberation on Zoom with local candidates and other students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members.  Public deliberation is an important way to let others learn from your own thinking and experiences as well as learn from others about theirs.  In small group Zoom discussions, we will consider together what we should do for future generations to thrive.  

Raffle prizes will be awarded during the last round of the deliberation to active participants.

Reminder:
Last day to register to vote: January 31, 2022
Early Voting: February 14 – February 25, 2022 
Election Day: March 1, 2022

 

One or more documents on this site are in PDF format. In order to view and print these document(s), you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. It can be downloaded from the Adobe website.