Welcome to the 5th and final part of this Pulse Check series. In this episode, we turn to one of the most nuanced and hopeful findings in Ologie’s national study: across political identities, people want colleges and universities to be places for ideas, not ideologies.
That sounds inspiring in theory. In practice, it raises harder questions. What does healthy dialogue actually look like on campus right now? How do students learn to navigate disagreement without collapsing into silence, defensiveness, or division? And what role should universities play in helping them build those skills?
Host Day Kibilds is joined by two student leaders who are doing this work in real time. Kathleen Parks, student body vice president at Texas A&M University, and Mac Mahoney, president of the Dartmouth Political Union at Dartmouth College, share what it takes to create spaces for conversation, respectful disagreement, and meaningful exchange among peers.
Together, they explore the difference between safe spaces and brave spaces, the importance of shared values and trust, and why civil discourse is not just a campus ideal but a lifelong skill. This episode is about what happens when students are given the chance to practice dialogue with honesty, humility, and courage, and why that matters far beyond graduation.
Guest Bio (Kathleen Parks):
Kathleen Parks is a senior at Texas A&M University studying society, ethics, and law, with minors in philosophy and leadership. She currently serves as student body vice president, where she helps represent student perspectives in university decision-making and works to support conversations rooted in shared values, leadership, and civil discourse.
Guest Bio (Mac Mahoney):
Malcolm “Mac” Mahoney is a senior at Dartmouth College studying politics, philosophy, and economics. He serves as president of the Dartmouth Political Union, Dartmouth’s student-run nonpartisan political organization, which hosts weekly meetings and debates that expose students to a wide range of political thought and encourage open, respectful dialogue across difference.
Host Bio (Dayana Kibilds):
With 15 years of experience, Dayana Kibilds has led award-winning work with universities around the world. An international keynote speaker and one of London, Ontario’s 20 Under 40, she is known for making complex ideas clear, practical, and possible. She loves to teach and share what she knows through her email book Mailed It!, as well as through her workshops, courses, her work with young professionals at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Summer Institutes, and her weekly newsletter. A lifelong immigrant who grew up in six countries, Day is now happily Canadian and lives with her husband, Bruno, and son, Romeo.
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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea
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