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Marta Bystrowska (Class of 2026) is pursing majors in Politics and Anthropology.
By this semester, I had been a college student for almost 4 years, and I was approaching my graduation in May 2026. And over the past couple of years, I have noticed a concerning trend in classroom discussions when political polarization enters the academic sphere. Being a politics student in DC, it is to be expected that politics will seep into classrooms; however, polarization has reached a point where students no longer feel comfortable expressing themselves fully.
At the beginning of the semester, I was approached by a student who told me she was scared to speak in class because of her political opinions. This distressed me not only for the state of our political climate but also for the very nature of a liberal arts education. How can liberal arts education flourish if open discussion is no longer occurring? How can the truth of principles be discovered when one's thoughts are kept to oneself? It seems that, amid all our country's political divide, students have lost the ability to have difficult conversations and to handle disagreements.
"How can liberal arts education flourish if open discussion is no longer occurring? How can the truth of principles be discovered when one's thoughts are kept to oneself?"
"How can liberal arts education flourish if open discussion is no longer occurring? How can the truth of principles be discovered when one's thoughts are kept to oneself?"
This new development had encouraged me to reach out to Braver Angels, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to reducing political polarization in America by bringing people across the ideological spectrum together for civil, constructive dialogue. Thankfully, I had the support of staff members, particularly Dr. Julia Young, who had worked with the organization previously. With Dr. Young's support and other students, we started meeting in December, which allowed us to plan the event and decide on a topic. What was unique about Braver Angels' approach was that we sent a poll to students so they could choose what to discuss. This inclusion allowed us to see what was really on students' minds and led to the resolution: "Should ICE be Abolished?"
On March 18th of 2026, the Braver Angels Debate was a tremendous success, featuring 8+ speeches and over 80 students in attendance! The topic of resolve sparked an invigorating discussion of ICE's role as a federal agency, its ethical conduct, and how we understand nationality in a multicultural society. It was one of the highlights of my time as a student at CUA, and it was an event worth all the time of planning and organizing.
I hope that the event was the first step of many towards creating spaces for students to share ideas, engage in respectful dialogue, and learn from one another, to change the campus culture to one of sharing, not shaming. And that it not only encouraged students to change the culture on campus but also to engage the world through conversations that challenge us, connect us, and remind us that we're all in this together.
Photo credits: Patrick Ryan
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