JOHNSON CITY (Sept. 4, 2020) – “Tuesday Talks,” a new series of conversations on “hot-button” issues, will begin Sept. 8 for East Tennessee State University students, faculty and staff and community members.
These talks, which will provide a forum for discussion on a range of cultural and political topics, will be held via Zoom each Tuesday through Oct. 27 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Each week’s session will open with a quick overview from a guest speaker, followed by a period for discussion and debate between participants. Pre-registration is required by visiting https://etsu.zoom.us/j/95876338224.
“Combating Systemic Racism in America” is the focus of the first conversation on Sept.
8. It will delve into the George Floyd and related killings, as well as the subsequent
protests and calls for criminal justice reform in the United States.
Upcoming sessions will focus on topics such as constitutional rights, including the
right to free speech and the right to bear arms; mass incarceration; voter suppression;
health care; taxation; climate change; and more.
The “Tuesday Talks” series is sponsored by ETSU Votes, a program driven by a diverse
team of students, faculty and staff that works to encourage student voter participation.
The team sets strategic voter engagement goals each year, and then partners with academic
departments and student organizations to host a variety of events, activities and
other campaigns to meet those goals.
ETSU has been designated as a “Voter Friendly Campus” for two consecutive two-year terms by the national nonpartisan organizations Campus Vote Project and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. ETSU also received a silver seal in the nonpartisan 2019 ALL IN Challenge Awards for achieving a student voting rate between 30 and 39%.
For more information, email etsuvotes@etsu.edu.