Last Friday afternoon, the McKeen Center for the Common Good hosted “Talking Politics at Bowdoin,” an event designed to discuss the current campus political climate and what it means to have political conversations at Bowdoin. Morrell Lounge, the center of Smith Union, was rearranged into circles of couches and chairs meant to encourage vulnerable conversations and collaboration among the participants.

The hosts chose Morrell Lounge as the location to allow other students in Smith Union, who did not intend to go to the event, to easily join.

The discussion was facilitated by Tom Ancona, associate director of the McKeen Center. He  organized the event as a part of the Mckeen Center’s What Matters program, which, according to the McKeen Center’s website, began in 2015 with the goal of sparking dialogue between people of diverse backgrounds and different opinions. The McKeen Center asked both the Bowdoin College Conservatives and the Bowdoin Democrats to sponsor last Friday’s event so that students and faculty of diverging political beliefs would come into conversation with one another.

“The whole idea of it is encouraging dialogue between different groups and people who have different ideas, “ Lusia Wolcott-Breen ’25, a program coordinator for the What Matters program, said. “Including both Bowdoin Conservatives and Bowdoin Democrats was really important, because the whole thing is about talking politics, not talking about a specific side.”

Along with reaching out to the politically affiliated clubs on campus, the McKeen Center also had several other student organizations—such as the women’s and men’s basketball teams, MacMillian House, the Eisenhower Forum, Bowdoin Debate and the Peucinian Society—sponsor the event to attract students who might not have otherwise attended.

“In terms of the sports groups, we often try to get different sports teams to sponsor in order for there to be a lot of people there…. It’s really helpful to call people into the space by having a sports team host,” Wolcott-Breen said. “Then, in terms of like Peucinian, Eisenhower Forum, Bowdoin Dems, Bowdoin Conservatives, those were groups that we thought this topic specifically pertained to.”

To begin the conversation, participants used Mentimeter to submit three words they thought described the political atmosphere on campus, some of which included “liberal,” “polarized,” “tense” and “silent.” Participants were then asked to reflect on these words and their meanings within their small groups. After spending time sharing with neighbors, the conversation opened up to the whole group. One of the most common issues raised during the event was the pressure students often feel to censor themselves.

“I was surprised to hear how many people seemed to censor themselves. Bowdoin should be a place where everyone, regardless of their background, feels comfortable speaking their mind, but it felt like some people didn’t feel they could fully express their views. I believe more events aimed at broadening political conversations could benefit both Bowdoin and the broader community,” Skylar Maier ’27, who attended the event on the behalf of Mac House, shared in an email to the Orient.

After three rounds of smaller group discussions followed by whole-group conversations, the event ended with each participant choosing one word to describe how the event made them feel or their key takeaway. As the microphone was passed around, people shared words like “inspired,” “educated” and “curious.”

“[It was a] frank and fruitful discussion, which highlighted some serious areas Bowdoin needs to work on,” Zak Asplin ’27, one of the leaders of the Bowdoin College Conservatives, said when asked to reflect on the event.

While the event aimed to create an open and respectful dialogue between people of all political opinions, the goal was not to persuade opposing sides or find a political consensus.

“This event solidified my resolve to vote and to encourage people to vote for Kamala Harris,” Neiman Mocombe ’26 said.

With the help of events like “Talking Politics” and the context of the nearing presidential election, the What Matters program hopes students and faculty will be able and willing to have productive political conversations with people of all beliefs and backgrounds.

“I am confident though that, if we all become more willing to converse with one another and seek to understand one another better, we’ll be in a better place to thrive as students, educators and as an institution even amidst the unrest all around us, “ Ancona wrote in an email to the Orient.