Fit2BTide S07.E4

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa. [00:00:08] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'all. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the Capstone. And hello, my friend. [00:00:15] Speaker C: Hello. How are you doing? [00:00:16] Speaker B: You know, I'm good. We are embracing October. [00:00:20] Speaker C: October. [00:00:20] Speaker B: We're in the middle of it. [00:00:21] Speaker C: Can you believe that? [00:00:22] Speaker B: No, I can't. And, you know, I was thinking today, I was like, what will Nika and I talk about in this first segment? So I don't know if I've ever asked you this before, you know, and I think everybody kind of has their different traditions during the fall. I was talking to a coworker the other day and they were mentioning, like, oh, I can't wait to get cozy in a blanket and watch a movie. And I was thinking, what kind of fall movies does Nico Morgan like to watch? And it doesn't Sheena. [00:00:50] Speaker C: No, I have fall. I do have thematic movies. [00:00:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And it doesn't necessarily have to be fall fall related. Cause sometimes people mention tv shows that are very fall specific, like Gilmore Girls or whatever, but I just. In general, what kind of movies get you going, man? [00:01:06] Speaker C: So every October I have to watch the original classic clue with tim Curry. [00:01:11] Speaker B: Yes. [00:01:12] Speaker C: I love clue. [00:01:13] Speaker B: I will take care. [00:01:13] Speaker C: And I get tired of clue. I like beetlejuice, the original one. [00:01:17] Speaker B: Okay. [00:01:17] Speaker C: I do love a Michael keaton. [00:01:19] Speaker B: Yay. [00:01:20] Speaker C: He is kind of a celebrity crush for me. [00:01:23] Speaker B: I can see that. Can you? Yeah. Because, you know, he was also a Batman. [00:01:28] Speaker C: He was the original Batman. He was the best movie. I digress. But yes. So clue, beetlejuice, and really just, I'm not a big horror genre kind of person, so I like just. I like clue. Clue's about as thriller as I'm gonna get. [00:01:47] Speaker B: Okay. [00:01:48] Speaker C: And beetlejuice is just quirky and funny. How about you? [00:01:52] Speaker B: I have to think about that. Although I do have a couple comments about beetlejuice because it is very nostalgic for me. I feel like there were some parts that disturbed me when I was younger, probably because I was watching it at an age I probably should not have. So there's definitely some core memories there in terms of some visuals. But then also, too, I think about how non problematic Alec Baldwin was at that time. When I was young, I think that song. Yes, he was so young. He looked like normal person. Didn't look like he would just be this, like, mean, fuddy duddy, which is the safest thing I can say. [00:02:29] Speaker C: I will say I think we forget the comedic genius of Michael Keaton until you rewatch betelgeuse as an adult, and you're like, you're so funny. [00:02:38] Speaker B: Yes. The facial expressions, all the things. Now, have you seen the second one yet? [00:02:41] Speaker C: I have not. Have you? [00:02:43] Speaker B: I haven't, and I can't decide. You know, it is rare for me to go to the movies these days. Usually it is gonna be something related to, like, me having to bring my kids to something since I have a four and six year old. Probably not gonna bring them to Beetlejuice. But I think once it becomes streaming or whatnot, I will partake. Yes. [00:03:04] Speaker C: Yeah, I'll check it out. Just cause, you know, I love me some Michael Keaton. [00:03:08] Speaker B: Yes. Now, other movies that I do enjoy that aren't necessarily fall or spooky related, I just love a good John Hughes movie. [00:03:15] Speaker C: Yeah. That is your celebrity crush, though. [00:03:17] Speaker B: Yes. You know, some, like, 1980s action, you know, really enjoy that. [00:03:21] Speaker C: John Hughes. Not John Hughes. He's not your crush. Who is it that you're crush? [00:03:24] Speaker B: Gosh, who do I. I'd like me some Bill Pullman. [00:03:27] Speaker C: That's who it is. [00:03:28] Speaker B: You know, you gotta look like your good father, husband material, good credit score. You know, he hits all of those boxes. He was the dad in Casper, president in Independence day. All of these things for me. But with the John Hughes 1980 movies, like your Molly Ringwald kind of prize. [00:03:46] Speaker C: Candles. [00:03:47] Speaker B: Yes. 16 candles in Breakfast club. Really liked that. Pretty in pink. I liked that, too. You know, again, not false specific, but just movies in general. [00:03:56] Speaker C: So I hope our listeners are having a happy fall, you know, eating all the fall themed foods, the caramel apples and the candy corn, things that you really can only get this time of year. [00:04:08] Speaker B: I know all the seasonal stuff. I feel like we have to take advantage of it. I've been trying to do that with different fall scents, whether it's candles, you know, scented waxes, flavored coffees, all of the things. But thankfully, though, you know, that is not going to be the topic of today's show. You know, we're getting this fix out now. You know, one of the other things that we have to think about with this time of the year is the fact that, hello, it is an election year. [00:04:33] Speaker C: It is an election year. [00:04:34] Speaker B: So with our show fit to be tied as we think about all things health and wellness and overall health and wellbeing, you know, we're going to talk a little bit about some civic health today, and I love it. [00:04:44] Speaker C: I don't think we've ever talked about this on this show, have we? [00:04:47] Speaker B: No, I don't think I've ever had a fully facilitated conversation on this, let alone had those words come out of my mouth in an official capacity. So that is our teaser right now. You guys take a break, please grab something to drink, run to the restroom, do what you gotta do. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Mika on 90.7 Macasco. [00:05:11] Speaker A: WvuaFm tuscaloosa. [00:05:20] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. [00:05:21] Speaker C: You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Mika on 90.7 the Capstone. [00:05:26] Speaker B: You are. And if you are just now joining us, that's actually probably a good thing because in our first segment, you know, we kind of go rogue. We were talking a little bit about fall movies, all things fall, whether that's fall candies, fall scents, all that good stuff. But we also left a teaser related to the term civic health. And so for many of our listeners, this may be the first time you've ever heard those two words put together. And thankfully, as we always do, we're going to have an expert join us. Yes, yes. [00:05:58] Speaker C: Especially when it's a topic we are about to get educated right along with our listeners today. [00:06:03] Speaker B: Yes. When we were preparing for the show, it's like this is gonna be a learning experience for us too. But our hope is that everyone walks away from today's show feeling motivated, feeling encouraged, feeling more intelligent. I know I will. [00:06:17] Speaker C: Yes, me too. [00:06:19] Speaker B: Without further ado, I would like to introduce our guest, Doctor Jackson Harris, who is the director of community and civic engagement as well as the director of the Civic learning lab at the Crossroads Civic Engagement Center. Doctor Jackson, welcome. [00:06:32] Speaker D: Well, thank you very much, Sheena and Nika. It's a pleasure to be with you. This is a terrific podcast and it's just an honor to be invited to participate today. [00:06:40] Speaker C: Hi. Hey. [00:06:41] Speaker B: You've already won us out there. You know, we've already talked about this. [00:06:44] Speaker C: Before, but we love your accent. Tell us where you're from. Doctor Jackson Harris. [00:06:49] Speaker D: I'm in Alabamian. I grew up in Barbara county, way down yonder on the Chattahoochee. And you follow Alabama. Although I'll say growing up, Tuscaloosa, especially this time of year, was home away from home. My grandparents used to bring an rv to campus for the football games. We used to park by Rose Towers and a student center, which is now where my office is located. So especially as the seasons start to change, it feels very nostalgic for me and it never seems to get old. I'm still very much one with the tide. [00:07:16] Speaker B: You said rose towers. That just brought me back. [00:07:20] Speaker C: I lived through my freshman year for half of a semester now. [00:07:26] Speaker B: Doctor Harris, was Rose tower still around when you were here as a student? [00:07:32] Speaker D: No, I got here in 2012. I started my undergrad here at Alabama. I was in new college, and I lived in Riverside, around where rose Towers was, right in front of the first presidential village building. So I was post rose towers by the time I was a student. But yeah, my freshman year was spent in Riverside North 121. [00:07:53] Speaker B: Oh, shout out to Riverside north 121. [00:07:56] Speaker D: Yes. [00:07:57] Speaker C: Love it. So tell us a little bit about how you got involved in this civic health realm. Yes, we've coined this term, right? [00:08:07] Speaker B: Yes. [00:08:08] Speaker C: Can I go? [00:08:08] Speaker B: He's coined it for us. [00:08:09] Speaker C: He's coined it. [00:08:10] Speaker B: Okay. But we're just running with it. [00:08:12] Speaker C: Okay. [00:08:13] Speaker D: No, I'm glad to talk about it. I think the route into this work was roundabout, but my depth study in new college here at our interdisciplinary studies program was in community development. And through that, I got to meet doctor Elaine McClelland, who was at New College at the time. And during my undergrad experience, she moved over to what was then Crossroads Community center in our division of Community affairs, and started doing a lot of the work that she continues to do now as our executive director of Crossroads Civic Engagement center. So I have always been interested in how communities work and the challenges they face and how people can work together to solve problems. And all of that really is a form of civic engagement. In the last few years, we found that because health and well being and student wellness initiatives across campus have been so successful, the students we work with on campus are already familiar with thinking about different parts of their life and different parts of health and wellness. They already are familiar with thinking about not just their physical health and their mental health, but also their financial health and their career wellness, or their academic wellness and so on and so forth. And so that has provided a very nice on ramp for us to have introductory conversations with students and the community members we work with to say, you already think about having these elements of your health and this holistic idea of the self. Let's also talk about civic health and what that means. So if this is new to you, that's okay. It's new to a lot of the people we work with. But we find that once we start chatting about it, it's stuff that, that students and community members already kind of know. But this is helpful language for them to think about this area of their life that also should be focused on, just like, our physical and mental wellness and health all the way around. [00:09:57] Speaker B: You know, I love that you would. [00:09:59] Speaker C: Like to be part of our club. I would love to have you part of our wellness club. [00:10:03] Speaker B: You might be our civic health ongoing correspondent for this show. [00:10:07] Speaker C: Yes, absolutely. [00:10:09] Speaker B: So, you know, I think the way that you have articulated everything, your passions for this are very evident. And I'm actually curious, you know, knowing that you did go to school here at UA, you know, during your time as a student, do you feel like you were pretty civic minded and were those in your friend group also civic minded? You know, I'm kind of curious to know what kind of things that you were involved with during your undergraduate time at UA. [00:10:33] Speaker D: Well, I think, like a lot of students, I tried to be engaged on campus and with campus activities and associations, clubs, as you mentioned. And then I was, you know, the friends that I spent a lot of time around were certainly concerned with national or sometimes international events. I don't think that's all different than our student body now, but especially as things get can seem to us as more and more chaotic or out of our control or troubling, I think what we are trying to do at crossroads is to give students an opportunity to think about the ways that they can become or be informed at a national or a global scale, but be engaged at a more local or even interpersonal scale. And I think that's a bridge for me personally that was really helpful to start to make. I could keep in mind all the things I thought should be different about the world, but then also convert that into action and be the kind of neighbor or community member that I thought would make a positive impact on the places I live. And so that's sort of the work we get to do now. We work with a tremendous group of students who I see making that sort of impact in their own social networks, and it's a lot of fun. Don't tell anybody, don't put this on the radio, but I think I've got the best job on campus. [00:11:44] Speaker C: Well, that's what I was about to ask you. What are your favorite things about your job? [00:11:49] Speaker D: I think students first and foremost, but because we're in the division of community affairs, we have the unique opportunity and mandate to work with members of the community, both in Tuscaloosa and across the state generally. And that is also really rewarding. Later this month, we'll be working with high school students in Walker county from schools in Jasper and Cordova and so on and so forth, developing their civic leadership potential and capacity in terms of civic health. And so that is also fun. So while I really enjoy the students we get to work with on campus related to these things. Every once in a while, we get to be on the road and kind of take this show on the road, which is really a lot of fun. And as somebody from this state, it means a lot to me to play a small role in this university serving the people of the state, whether they have been here, whether they plan to go here, whether they have family who have been here, or whether they just support us with their tax dollars, which we certainly appreciate. And even with a majority out of state student population, this remains the University of Alabama. And within that is a mission to serve the people and places of this state. [00:12:52] Speaker B: Roll tied to that. [00:12:53] Speaker C: Roll tied to that. [00:12:54] Speaker B: Now, I know we're about to come up on a break, but one of the things that I realize we may not have fully articulated is really what is the main focus of crossroads civic engagement center. If you were to think of an elevator pita, when you're describing the mission of this center, what do you typically share? [00:13:14] Speaker D: I share that we're an initiative of the division of Community affairs, as I mentioned, and the central mission of that division is to improve the quality of life for the people of Alabama and beyond. We're one of two centers within that division. And so for Crossroads Civic Engagement center, we're particularly focused on improving the quality of civic life within the state of Alabama and beyond. And that includes a focus on developing civic knowledge. It includes a focus on developing civic values and skills and helping students understand the civic actions they can take to hopefully make their communities the kind of place they want to live in and continue to be good neighbors. You know, I often say that what we're talking about isn't that much different than probably what folks learned in kindergarten. But just because it's self evident doesn't mean you don't need to say it. If that the case, we'd have a very boring declaration of independence. So sometimes we're just going back to the fundamentals. But, you know, I came up in the Bear Bryant and Saban lineage of thinking about leadership and excellence. So just because it's the fundamental or the basics doesn't mean you should overlook it. In fact, the opposite is true. Those kind of basics of how to treat one another seem to continue to be important. So as coach Bryant said, the same things win. That always wonde to have a different bunch of excuses when we lose. That's true in the football field, and that's true in our civic lives and community health as well. [00:14:33] Speaker B: That is the soundbite I want to end this segment on, we're looking forward to diving deeper into this conversation with you. I know we've got to take a break. So you are listening to fit to be tied with Sheen and Mika on Sunday. Capsule. [00:14:50] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa. [00:14:59] Speaker C: Happy Sunday. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And today we are talking about the importance of civic health with our guest, Doctor Jackson Harris. [00:15:11] Speaker B: Yes, we are. And if you didn't get to listen to the last segment, he was sharing just the mission of Crossroads Civic Engagement center. And I know we were kind of teasing earlier in the show this whole concept of civic health. And so Doctor Jackson, what? Doctor Jackson Harris, excuse me, I just want to call you. I like to call people by their first name and doctor sometimes. It's just fun. Cause I think that if I were to get my PhD, I just want to be Doctor Sheena versus Doctor Greg. So, Doctor Harris, tell us, what is civic health like? [00:15:46] Speaker D: In a nutshell, civic health includes all of the ways we interact with our neighbors and the institutions that we create with one another. It also includes our responsibilities to place. So when people talk about civic engagement as a manifestation of civic health, people often think about voting, which is certainly a way that we interact with the institutions of government or representative democracy. But often people also talk about picking up trash on the side of the road. So civic health is a big enough umbrella that includes caring for your neighbors, caring for the institutions we share, and sharing for the places or environments that we share. That's a lot of things. Sometimes that is working a polling location or showing up to city council meetings. But often it's the conversations and the relationships we have with, yes, our friends and family, but also strangers. It encompasses who we are as neighbors and who we are as members of community and democracy. [00:16:45] Speaker B: Do you feel like those that are not as active in, in their civic life? Do you feel like it's correlated with maybe just not having a full understanding of the impact of being active or just misinformation? What do you typically see in your professional work with that? [00:17:05] Speaker D: Well, in the civic system, as we've got at the local level on up to the national level, to be disengaged, if you want to call it that, is also making a choice, even if you're not speaking on an issue or sharing your thoughts, that is a choice to not do so. And so somebody else may be speaking for you. But again, I think we usually talk about civic health as a big enough umbrella so that it includes the conversations you have with your neighbor as well. Imagine that we often talk about social networks in this 21st century electronic era, but imagine that there are also lines of communication between all the people you talk with or interact with, and we pass information and sentiment and values across those lines. It's important for all of us to keep those lines healthy and strong enough so that with at least some people in our lives, we can talk about the most important things facing our community or our nation. And so that responsibility rests on all of us. No matter how we choose to vote or if we choose to vote, we're still participating in the civic system as it is because we existed in a community, because we exist in a democracy. I'm not entirely sure if that answers your question, but that's the best I can do. [00:18:17] Speaker B: Hey, it sounds good to me. [00:18:18] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So tell our listeners out there, and specifically our students, you know, why is it important for them to be thinking about getting engaged and not making the choice to disengage, but making the choice to engage in civic issues and initiatives? [00:18:38] Speaker D: I think it's important to focus on our civic health for a lot of the same reasons it's important to focus on any of our other aspects of health, our career wellness, or our financial wellness, or, of course, our physical or mental health. We have these elements of our lives, whether we're paying attention to them or not. So it's the intentionality of it. It's the focus on it and the mindfulness of it that makes a difference. So, for instance, part of our civic life is a consumption and a passing along of information, not unlike part of our physical life, is our diet and concentrating on what we take in and how that impacts the other elements of our life. And so I think helping us all, whether it's students or community members, recognize that we have a civic portion of our identity that should be focused on, helps us to kind of think about a little more thoughtfully. Okay, what am I taking in? What sort of information sources, what sort of values, whatever? And then what do I want to be passing along as I think through what I'm consuming and then what I'm passing along to my neighbor? I can do that in a classroom or in line at the Piggly wiggly, but I can also do it online. And so making some conscious choices about what kind of neighbor I want to be, I think all of that is important, not just to you as an individual, although it certainly is, but it's also important to everyone around you. So if you care about yourself, if you care about the people around you, then it's important to think about yourself as a citizen, as a neighbor, and think about the kind of neighbor you want to be. [00:20:04] Speaker C: I think, what if. Correct me if I'm wrong, what I'm hearing is, we don't live in a bubble. And if we choose to ignore it, it doesn't really mean that it's not there. [00:20:12] Speaker D: That's true. [00:20:13] Speaker C: And so that, you know, we have to. We may not like to think in that way, but we. To be healthy, you know, you may not want to think about your financial situation or how many calories you're taking in or the fact that you're not getting enough sleep. But if you want to be totally healthy, you have to acknowledge those. So you have to acknowledge that you don't live in a bubble. You do live, like you said, around you live in the world. You're taking part in civic responsibilities whether you stop to think about it or not. [00:20:43] Speaker D: Yeah, that's true. I mean, from the beginning of our day, we rely on our neighbors and the institutions that connect us in a host of ways. That is. Is very easy to overlook. But just driving from where we live to where we work, for instance, we go across roads that are built by our institutions. We rely on our neighbors to abide by traffic laws. We are able to operate with a basic set of assumptions that everybody's gonna do pretty much what's expected of them. And that's because we're assuming everybody will take seriously their role as neighbor and fellow member of the community. So even as you mentioned, even if we think we're in a bubble, we're certainly not. We may note, I have kids in school who are school age, for instance, but we're really relying on that. Young people are getting educated to be good neighbors because when we see them in the store or at the department of Motor Vehicles, we expect they know a basic amount of how this society works as we've constructed it and generally know how to be nice neighbors, cooperative folks. [00:21:40] Speaker B: I really love just everything that you've shared with our listeners as far as, like, the very practical, tangible components of civic life. Because, again, I think that sometimes we just box it as, oh, I actually participate in elections. And so I think with that specific example, I found it interesting with different family members and even with different friends, they may say, oh, well, I only participate in the local elections. Cause I feel like that's where my vote really counts. Or, oh, I only vote during the presidential election. Cause that's the only one I care about what would you say to those people that kinda have that mindset? Is that a quote unquote, wrong mindset to have, or how would you kind of get them to think beyond that on election days? [00:22:28] Speaker D: We are certainly participating in the system of democracy. But John Dewey wrote 100 years ago that democracy is a way of life. So every other day of the year and years, we are still neighbors, we are still members of community. And so we still ought to be paying attention to what we're putting into the world and what we're taking from it. So, for instance, in this time of the year, when everybody's thinking about the elections and how they're going to to vote, there are also a lot of conversations going around related to voting or international national events. And so while it is important to have a healthy democracy and culture of discourse, that doesn't mean that we need to talk to everybody we meet about politics. We make decisions based on that, based on how strong our relationship is with that person, whether it's the right context to engage in that sort of conversation. So to your point about a practical tip, one thing we tell students and community members is to think about engaging in conversations about politics from the ground up, or feet first, as we like to say. So first think about where are my feet right now? Is this the right place to talk about politics or civic issues? Are we starting off on the right foot? You know, are we on equal ground in terms of power dynamics? And if that's the case, if both people there want to have a conversation about issues that are important to them, then you kind of move upward to the heart and ask questions about, well, you know, what are your fears or your hopes related to this topic? Getting a sense of those sorts of things can then allow us to move up to head or intellectual type questions of, well, what should be done about this? What are some possible solutions and that sort of thing? And we found that a simple attention to those sorts of fundamentals can make a huge difference in the sort of conversations that are possible and the sort of relationships we can maintain, even across political or ideological differences with our neighbors and friends and family. [00:24:16] Speaker B: What a much more responsible way to navigate that than what I would just kind of think of as poking the bear, for lack of better words, where you're wanting to instigate a conversation with a family member at Thanksgiving. It's like, oh, I know how old uncle Bob stands. Let me see if I can rile him up, you know, because I think sometimes that's how, how people correlate the thought of talking about politics during a, you know, during family time or gatherings or whatever else, and especially during an election season. So I think the way that you've mentioned, you know, really having that healthy discourse with someone who, you know, you may already be aware or not aware that they have differing views from you, how to navigate that in a way that is respectful to both parties. But I know we've got to take a break, but we are just getting started with this conversation. You guys are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena. Anecdote. [00:25:16] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. [00:25:25] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the Capstone. And we welcome our guests, Jackson Harris, the director of community and civic engagement and also the civic learning lab director for Crossroads Civic Engagement center. [00:25:41] Speaker B: Isn't that a mouthful? It is. You know, if I could say all the accolades for Doctor Harris, I would, because it has been such a fabulous afternoon with you. Yes, I like so much. Yes. I feel like I need to be more civically involved and really engage in these issues. And so as we talk more about Crossroads Civic Engagement Center, I know that you shared that you are all part of community affairs here at the University of Alabama, and so can you share with our listeners the different types of programs and services that are offered through your department? [00:26:16] Speaker D: Sure. We have several things that our office, our team gets involved in. We have some professional staff. We've got a lot of outstanding student team members as well. Throughout the year, we can be doing any number of things from supporting the student led get out the vote efforts. We have a terrific chapter of the Andrew Goodman foundation on campus. Their organizational name is Uavote everywhere, and they've been nationally recognized for their work in nonpartisan get out the vote efforts. We're very proud of them. In fact, one of our students, Roland Grady, was recently, two weeks ago, invited to the White House for a student panel on get out the vote efforts. So we're very proud of that effort. And we do a small part through the work of Doctor Lane McClellan, our executive director, to support that student effort. From crossroads, we bounce around campus and communities, providing workshops or speaking engagements, helping to draw attention to this aspect of the university's mission of developing citizens for our communities and for our democracy. And so we do that some work. The civic learning lab that was mentioned is a way for us to work with individual students or faculty and staff members on projects related to their area of interest that's connected with civic engagement or civic learning so any given day, we could be speaking to the athletics department or housing and residential communities. We could be doing a wonderful podcast like this, or we could be somewhere else in the state supporting community leaders there. It keeps things interesting, keeps things fun. We don't generally do the same thing two days in a row. And when students come to our office and ask how they can get involved in the work of crossroads, I remind them that our main goal is for them to be engaged citizens and things that they care about and find ways to connect with their neighbors. So just like the career center does a great job of connecting folks with opportunities to increase their career, health and wellness, we try to do the same thing for the civic aspects of the lives of our students and making sure that they're aware of opportunities. Whether it's internships in Montgomery or DC, or whether it's opportunities to learn from their neighbors here in Tuscaloosa or elsewhere in the state, we try to connect them with those opportunities. We're a small team, but our main mission is to make sure students see themselves as developing citizens and see themselves as neighbors, and then try to support them and their faculty members in making this a good learning space for younger citizens. [00:28:47] Speaker B: Now, I know, and I believe you mentioned this towards the beginning of the show, Doctor Harris, that the name of the center had transitioned from Crossroads community center to Crossroads civic engagement center. I'm kind of curious, when did that change happen? Because I'm familiar with some of the programming in its previous iteration. I'm not sure if you all still do the sustained dialogue or not with students. Can you tell us a little bit about when that transition happened? [00:29:14] Speaker D: Absolutely. Sustained dialogue and sustained dialogue campus network has been connected to the University of Alabama for many years now, even predating when doctor Lane McClelland joined the Crossroads team in January of 2013. So we had, as an organization, had already been focused on helping students develop the sort of skills necessary to have conversations about the issues that were most important to them. Just like our physical wellness, some of these things take exercise and they take practice to build up the sort of skills and habits and muscles, to use a metaphor, that are necessary for those sorts of conversations. So we continue to be involved in sustained dialogue and the sustained dialogue model. Doctor McClellan and our program coordinator, Newland Humphrey, coordinate an ongoing research project that brings student leaders from around campus together once a week to talk about these sorts of things and develop those sorts of, of skills related to sustaining dialogue and creating positive impacts in their relationships and communities. So we still do that sort of work and often we'll consult with organizations like, for instance, the Blackburn Institute and the Division of Student Life. The last few years, we've met with some of their student leaders at the beginning of the school year to talk through how they can be effective in leading meaningful conversations within their program. So we do a lot of that sort of work of just trying to support the good work that's going on around campus and try to be helpful where we can. [00:30:38] Speaker B: Absolutely. I remember several years ago, we had a few years in a row where we would have a focused, sustained dialogue event that connected with body Appreciation Week, which is UA's celebration of national eating Disorders Awareness Week. And we focused on the topic of body image specifically. And so it was really nice getting to sit at the table with those students, have some very specific questions to discuss. And really, you know, from, from my vantage point, all the students, they are coming from different walks of life and talking about those experiences. That was, you know, even just in those brief moments, getting to be involved there, I saw how impactful that was and really just how it was very evident that these students had understood what it would look like to have, you know, healthy discourse, whether it was related to body image or another topic, and have that sustained dialogue structure. [00:31:33] Speaker D: We found that to be a rewarding program, and the events that you're referencing were set up in the UA student Center, and we were relying on students to join us in the middle of their week, come from whatever they were doing, and join us. And what we found in the last few years to be an even more effective strategy of creating those opportunities and building those skills is to go where the students already are. Sometimes we lovingly refer to this as guerrilla civic education because we've got a small team, as I mentioned, and so we'll be invited to places, whether it's a greek organization's meeting or a classroom for freshman students. We'll go in, we'll have 50 minutes or an hour and 15 minutes to cover something like the importance of listening or how to ask good questions for dialogue. We try to go in, make a big impact, and get out of there so we can go to the next group. So we're doing a lot more of that these days. And we've been under the Crossroads Civic Engagement center banner since, I suppose, the beginning of 2020 or so. As we moved more into this space of building civic skills that seemed to be more representative of where we were heading and kind of where national models were and peer institutions. But we've been doing a lot of that dialogue work and developing of neighborliness pretty much since the beginning of Crossroads community center about 20 years ago now under the vision and direction of our vice president of community affairs, Doctor Samoy Pruitt. [00:32:55] Speaker B: Well, despite you all being in community affairs, I feel like you've always been just a loving relative within student life with as much interaction as you do with those departments. So we're so grateful, and I know that I'm grateful for you being on the show today. I feel like I've learned a lot. [00:33:12] Speaker C: Me too. Me too. Can you tell? I'm just sitting here absorbing everything. So. [00:33:15] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, no, I think. And then also probably it's the enamor of Doctor Harris, I just want you to continue talking. You know, we were talking during some of the breaks about just an appreciation of all of the different variations of southern accents within the state of Alabama. So it was so grateful to have someone from the southeast part of our state today. So that was extremely helpful. I know we're going to take a break and have our last segment. Hopefully you're willing to stay along for the ride. For our fun segment, I'll call it, but for our listeners. And you are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nica on 90.7, the capstone. And we will be right back. [00:33:58] Speaker A: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa. [00:34:08] Speaker C: Happy Sunday. You are listening to bid to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.1. And thanks for sticking with us as we wrap up this week's show with doctor Jackson Harris. He has been a wonderful guest and we have invited him to be a brave guest and stay on the last five minutes, as our listeners know, can go in any direction. [00:34:30] Speaker B: Yes. You know, and we don't go too, too crazy on the questions. They just tend to be completely unrelated to the topic that the guests came on the show for. [00:34:39] Speaker D: So. [00:34:40] Speaker C: But hey, humor is part of good health. [00:34:44] Speaker B: It really is. It truly is. And we want you to be well rounded. We want this to be a holistic health experience. [00:34:51] Speaker C: So, and we know you're laughing at us, so continue that good chuckle. [00:34:54] Speaker B: Exactly. So I know in the first segment, you know, we were talking about our own favorite movies and so we have to turn the tables. Doctor Harris, what are your favorite movies? They can be, you know, they can be related to the, you said you like some, you know, good thematic socks. You are wearing some ghost right now. And so what are, what are your favorite movies? [00:35:17] Speaker D: Oh, this time of year specifically, I love to rewatch young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks fan talking about the health of chuckling that is a very healthy movie for me because I laugh a lot. And then also both myself and our executive director, Lan McClelland. Really love, you've got mail, especially this time of year as the leaves are changing. There's something about those characters. There's something about the dialogue. The writing, I think, is superb. The soundtrack is knockout, the scenes are terrific, and lots of nostalgia there. That was a classic growing up. I have an older sister, and so I watched a lot of chick flicks growing up. And so this time of year, it's hard for me to avoid at least one rewatching of you've got male and young Frankenstein. [00:36:02] Speaker B: I mean, you've got that one two punch of some Tom Hanks and some Meg Ryan in there. So I will say, I did not expect that answer from you, but I'm really appreciating it. [00:36:14] Speaker C: I am. Yes, you are. Right. Young Frankenstein never gets old. [00:36:17] Speaker B: Yeah. Are you into any rom coms? [00:36:21] Speaker C: Some early nineties maybe, like, you know, coming into college, I guess. Yes. In the late nineties, rom coms were really popular. [00:36:31] Speaker B: Yes. [00:36:32] Speaker C: So I'll watch some of those for nostalgia. [00:36:34] Speaker B: What about you? I do. So I really like love, actually. It can be hit or miss with the different ensemble casts, but I don't know if it is the british take. I just have an obsession with variations of accents and diction of things. So there's that. But I think I'm still just blown away by the you've got mail response. I'm gonna have to ask Lane about this and then maybe I can further bond with her on that as well. But that was just not expecting that. [00:37:06] Speaker C: I was not expecting that at all. But I like it. I appreciate it. [00:37:09] Speaker B: Yes. And with that said, before we dig ourselves into a deeper hole, we will end today's show again. Doctor Harris, thank you so much for being on the show with us today. [00:37:18] Speaker D: It's been an absolute pleasure. If anyone has other questions about crossroads, we hope they'll follow us on Instagram at UA crossroads or find us online at crossroads ua.edu. [00:37:27] Speaker B: And with that said, listeners, you have been listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 9.7. [00:37:38] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.