The College will host an “ask us anything” series where students, faculty and staff can ask questions to its senior officers, with the first event scheduled for Monday, March 31. The series is one of several initiatives working toward improving campus conversation that President Safa Zaki described in an email to the Bowdoin community on March 7 titled “Working together.”

Zaki wrote that, during her expanded office hours before spring break, which she held following the Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine encampment, many students expressed discomfort or frustration with dialogue on campus, particularly with holding conversations with people who hold different views.

“I continue to believe that the best path forward is for us to engage more authentically and constructively with one another, to appreciate our different experiences and points of view and to work together with generosity and humility to build and sustain community here at Bowdoin,” Zaki wrote.

The “ask us anything” series will emphasize dialogue surrounding difficult topics. Senior Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs Jim Hoppe, Senior Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs Jen Scanlon and Senior Vice President for Inclusion and Diversity Benje Douglas will facilitate the first session.

“We really want to hear what’s on the minds of students, staff and faculty. As the president noted, we aim to provide opportunities for people to engage, thoughtfully and respectfully, on topics of concern and for which members of our community may have a wide range of perspectives,” Scanlon wrote in an email to the Orient. “Our goal is fairly simple: to spend time together in community, talking and listening—to lean into what makes an educational community such a powerful space.”

In her email, Zaki also named a number of other efforts currently underway or in planning at the College. This includes a review of discrimination and harassment policies, additional training on responding to reports of discrimination and harassment, increased education and dialogue on combating forms of hate including antisemitism and Islamophobia, expanded participation in emergency planning exercises, a new campus dialogue program and employee dialogue opportunities to improve faculty and staff collaboration.

Additionally, the College will host a campus-wide series on “contemporary challenging topics,” including the conflict in the Middle East, according to Zaki’s email. Hoppe and Scanlon are also sponsoring a new committee to address policies on postering, building use and demonstration.

More information on these initiatives will be shared soon, as stated in Zaki’s email.