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Western Washington University’s Ralph Munro Institute for Civic Education and its Centers for Student Access, Community, and Intercultural Engagement will host a series of panel discussions throughout October titled ‘.’ 

All the events in the panel series center student learning and are free and open to the public and the entire campus community. 

As 2024’s volatile presidential campaign season enters its final month, the panel series will tackle issues like misinformation, U.S. foreign policy, climate change and immigration. 

The panel discussions will occur on the first four Tuesdays in October, from 4-5:30 p.m. in Miller Hall 138 on the �������� campus.  The week of October 28 will feature multiple events for the annual , titled “Sustaining Democracy in Polarizing Times.”  

The  events in the “Beyond the Surface” series are as follows: 

Tuesday, Oct. 1: “’Can You Believe That?!' Being an Analytical Information Consumer” 

Tuesday, Oct. 8: “What is the United States’ Role in the  World? U.S. Foreign Policy and the 2024 Election” 

Tuesday, Oct. 15: “Testing the Boundaries: Immigration and Border Security Policy” 

Tuesday, Oct. 22: “Protecting Our Planet: Election Stakes in Washington and Beyond” 

Thursday, Nov. 7: “What Happened? What We Know and What We Don’t” 

Litav Langley, �������� assistant vice president for Student Access, Community, and Intercultural Engagement, said this election year is an especially important time to address many issues facing the students served by the Centers. 

“The Centers’ core student development goals include providing programs that support students’ positive identity development, intercultural learning, and ability to effectively self-advocate for greater equity and justice. Building complex and deeper understandings of major policy issues that impact students’ lives can further one’s understanding of self and others," Langley said. “Moreover, this learning is critical to students’ participation in civil society, including their development of individual and collective interventions to influence policies and navigate policy impacts. The Centers are delighted to partner with the Munro Institute and faculty colleagues across campus for this important series.”   

Kate Destler, associate professor of Political Science at Western and director of the Munro Institute, agreed with Langley on the importance and timing of the seminar series. 

"When the stakes are so high, compromise can feel like conciliation. Yet a democracy depends both on our ability to make our voices heard and on our ability to listen to one another and find common purpose.  This fall we seek to look beyond the taglines and dig into the nuances of the complex challenges we face today,” Destler said. 

Lauren Johnson, a third-year Western student double majoring in Political Science and Communication Studies and the director of the �������� Office of Civic Engagement, said there wasn’t a more critical time for Western students to understand their roles in our democracy – and the key issues facing it from inside and outside - than right now. 

"As students we all share a variety of different backgrounds, histories, and perspectives. All the while sharing a similar pursuit of education and knowledge. The ‘Beyond the Surface’ series will be a great opportunity for all students regardless of background to actively participate in civic engagement beyond voting," said Johnson. “These conversations are what make us all informed participants in democracy. Those who attend any of the events in this series will experience civil dialogue, exercise their critical media literacy skills, and connect with not only other students, but faculty and members of the public." 

For more information on the , go to .