Loosemore Auditorium - WKTV Journal

By Nate Hoekstra, Grand Valley State University

Politics and discourse in America today are more contentious than ever, and engaging with people of opposing political views in a civil manner is often difficult for many.

Yet in the face of intense polarization, the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) will bring together more than two dozen nationally renowned scholars and writers to discuss the most difficult issues of modern American life and politics.

From May 4-6, the Hauenstein Center will host its annual Conservative/Progressive Summit, which will feature lectures and panel discussions specifically designed to bring serious, thoughtful discussion about the shifting political and intellectual terrain of American life to the forefront.

Speakers will include professors, authors, and journalists and contributors from media outlets including The Atlantic, The American Conservative, U.S. News and World Report, Vox, National Review, The New Republic, The Nation and more. Together, they will discuss political coverage in the media, religion and American civic life, the Trump administration, higher education, the history of conservative thought, the Constitution, and more.

A full event schedule along with speaker biographies and information can be found here.

What: Hauenstein Center Conservative/Progressive Summit

When: May 4-6, 2017

Where: Charles W. Loosemore Auditorium, Richard M. DeVos Center, 401 Fulton St. W., Grand Rapids, MI

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested here.
“The three-day conference will not pretend to find the answers to political division,” said Hauenstein Center director Gleaves Whitney. “Instead it will attempt to promote understanding of opposing viewpoints that are often absent from critical analysis among like-minded people.”

The summit is presented in partnership with the Kate and Richard Wolters Foundation, the Progressive Women’s Alliance of West Michigan and the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.

The annual summit is a one-of-a-kind event in political discourse, said Common Ground program manager Scott St. Louis.

“The Hauenstein Center’s Conservative/Progressive Summit is a unique event that showcases a broad range of American political thought on the same stage,” St. Louis said.

For more information, visit HauensteinCenter.org/RSVP.

Loosemore Auditorium at GVSU's Downtown Campus — Loosemore Auditorium at GVSU’s Downtown Campus

On Tuesday, January 26 at 6:30pm in the Loosemore Auditorium on Grand Valley’s downtown campus, the ACLU of Western Michigan will be hosting a timely event on the immigration issue currently capturing headlines across the United States. Entitled, Beyond Hate and Fear: Immigration and the Refugee Crisis in America, the purpose of the event is to provide insight into the long overdue process of reforming the current immigration system.

“Currently the United States is experiencing its greatest influx of immigrants in its history,” said Linda Sanchez, one of the coordinators of the event. “This has created severe problems and one of those is a hatred and fear that are both being stoked against immigrants. It’s ironic that a nation of immigrants has historically always had such difficulty with immigration, but here we are in 2016 and the problem remains. We’re hoping this symposium will help shed fresh new light on the issue.”

Panelists include Rubén Martinez, Director of the Julian Samora Research Institute at M.S.U.; Richard Kessler, Attorney and activist specializing in Immigration law; and Liz Black, Legal Services Director for Justice for Our Neighbors West Michigan.

The purpose of the event is to discuss the root causes of the anger toward immigrants and refugees. Additionally, discussion will center around the fundamental protections of due process and equal protection that are embodied in our Constitution and apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.

Admission to the event is free.