In the 21st century, the modern political arena consists of a web of discourse and increased polarization, especially within the United States. This polarization threatens civic discourse across all viewpoints, and college campuses have arguably experienced the brunt of it.
To counteract this, Professor of Political Science Eitan Hersh and The Fletcher School alumnus Arik Burakovsky (F’17) combined forces to create the Center for Expanding Viewpoints in Higher Education, a new campus resource and hub dedicated to fostering dialogue across perspectives. From liberalism to radical feminist philosophy to internet-themed religious practices, CEVIHE encompasses a wide variety of topics meant to enable diplomatic and open conversation for just about anyone. With such a range of subjects, Hersh has many ultimate goals for the space.
“I see this as primarily an intellectual space,” Hersh said. “What feels, to me, special and rare is for a group of students [to] come together and read all those wildly different perspectives together, and do so in the spirit of open inquiry, learning from one another … [and] all the different ways of being that exist.”
In today’s polarizing climate, the overlapping and intertwining of different perspectives have become quite scarce — a reality potentially most experienced by students in their daily interactions. Tufts Hemispheres Editor-in-Chief Zoe Raptis emphasized that the center will provide a crucial space for open conversation, something she believes is increasingly absent in the current political climate.
“I think it’s very easy for universities nowadays to feel like there are certain bubbles or cliques of certain viewpoints, especially in regards to politics,” Raptis said. “I think the center is needed because it’s meant to be a very safe space for people to have different perspectives and to actually encourage there to be different ideas on issues and not have this tunnel vision.”
In addition to providing students with opportunities to exchange diverse perspectives, Hersh emphasized that the center will enable many students to have a say in how it runs. He described plans for multiple boards: one open to all Tufts students with another specifically for student organization representatives, as well as plans for a group that will run a workshop for juniors and seniors.
Beyond the student leadership panel, many student leaders at Tufts view the new center as a crucial and promising resource for the Tufts community. For politically active students, the center serves as an incredible opportunity to foster their interests.
“As politically engaged students, we’re always interested in ideas, and more spaces to create that kind of discourse is always good. In a world of promoting freedom of speech, we always feel like more is better,” Tufts Tribune Editor-in-Chief Stanley Spence said. “If the center is bringing out ideas and discussions that either were or weren’t happening [before, it gives] them an explicit space to flourish.”
However, students also appreciate that the center caters to individuals who may want to explore the center from a less politically engaged perspective. Although the center will host political research, events, panels and civic debates, it is also distinct in its potential to serve students who are simply curious about political issues. Raptis described the center as “a physical reminder and presence” where students can explore new perspectives without pressure to make or defend a choice.
“It could be useful for people who aren’t very politically engaged who want to learn more about an issue but don’t want to be fed just a specific viewpoint,” she said.
Additionally, the center has a lot to offer for campus organizations and clubs, particularly in the opportunities and conversational structure it provides — as well as the Center’s physical space in development.
Nick Rishi, co-president of the Tufts Federalist Society and Cooperation and Innovation in Citizenship, views the center as potentially being a valuable point of connection between the many political clubs on campus. With an advisory board and a potential meeting space, Rishi noted that he sees the center as a resource that will “only help bolster the political clubs on campus,” solving what he described as a past “challenge … [that] there was not a great opportunity for clubs to interact.”
“One of the missions of the center is to bring together a lot of different political groups,” Rishi said. “They’re looking to create a student advisory board, featuring many different clubs — politically-adjacent clubs. And so, one [benefit] is that [the center is] a great way of connecting people across political differences.”
Nonetheless, student leaders also acknowledged the center’s potential shortcomings.
“I think the biggest worry would be that [CEVIHE] attracts certain kinds of people that are already similarly minded … because [the] people that are so far excited about the center … tend to be more like-minded,” Raptis said. “My worry would be that it would create another existing bubble on campus.”
Rishi recognized that this concern may be shared by other members of the Tufts community; however, it is his hope that this will not be the case.
“I think perhaps some people will be concerned that the center is only focused on uplifting conservative viewpoints,” Rishi said.
Nonetheless, all three student leaders expressed faith in Hersh and Burakovsky’s mission, framing the center as less of a political hub and more of an intellectual space.
“I think from the very beginning, Professor Hersh and [Burakovsky] have been incredibly forthright about trying to reach out to everybody,” Rishi said. “I would say if anyone feels that their viewpoints are not being represented by the center, to just reach out to them, and they’re gonna get you involved in some way.”
Hersh noted that the center’s primary aim is to nurture the quintessential Tufts love of learning new things.
“It’s really about learning,” Hersh said. “We want to create a place where students feel like they can meet one another on neutral terms and learn from each other.”
Within that vision, the center presents itself as a platform for new discoveries, open inquiry and intellectual dialogue as opposed to debate. Hersh and his colleagues hope that the center will serve as a resource for curiosity and a unification point for students of all backgrounds.
“More discourse is always good,” Spence said. “If we’ve got more opportunity to talk and to bring out ideas and develop our ideas, particularly as students on the path to becoming well-informed citizens, that’s amazing. That’s ideal for us.”
