Civil Civility: Having Civil Conversations in Our Communities public fora series hosted by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute for:

Building the Relationship: Will We Trust Government Again?

Rebecca BinstockExecutive Director, North Dakota Ethics Commission

Tuesday, October 29, 202412:00 - 1:30pmThe Reimers Room at the McGovern Alumni Center 

Abstract: For the past half century, citizens’ confidence in governments has steadily declined.  While many factors impact a citizen’s relationship with government and her ability to be confident in decisions made by those we elect, research demonstrates social, political, and economic developments since the 1960s have fundamentally affected our ability to trust government. Nonetheless, community advocates have demonstrated our relationship with government can be stronger and increase our confidence in those we elect, in a system that supports the relationship of government and citizens, enacts meaningful transparency measures, fosters a well-informed electorate, and values objective journalism.   

Biography:  Rebecca Binstock has been serving as the Executive Director of the North Dakota Ethics Commission since September 2022.

Binstock graduated from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, in 2006, with a B.A. in Biology, Society, and Environment. She then continued her education, earning a M.S. in Education, Teaching, & Learning from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 2009. Binstock taught biology, chemistry, and physics at Aberdeen Central High School in Aberdeen, South Dakota from 2007 to 2009.  She then attended the University of North Dakota School of Law and graduated magna cum laude in 2012.

Binstock began her legal career as an associate with Zuger Kirmis & Smith, focusing on insurance defense and litigation. In 2013, she accepted a term law clerk position with the Honorable Judge Daniel Hovland with the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. She transitioned to serve as the pro se law clerk for the District Court in 2014 and continued to serve in that role until commencing her service with the Ethics Commission. Binstock also has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Mary and is owner of Simple Sugar LLC, a local cotton candy company.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dennis Cooley or ndsu.npei@ndsu.edu.

Public Forum: Chris Wilson, Chief Compliance Officer, NDSU

See the forum on the NPEIs YouTube Channel here

Being part of the political process is a right, but many NDSU employees worry about violating university, SBHE, or state policies and laws. Many of those concerns are unjustified, but it is always useful to learn more about current guidelines and to check with the university’s expert on the subject.

The forum is open to the public, although question priority will go to NDSU faculty, staff, and students.

Chris Wilson is NDSU’s Chief Compliance Officer.  He has been with NDSU since 2012.  Wilson served previously as NDSU’s General Counsel (2015-2024) and Chief of Staff and as NDSCS’ General Counsel from 2013 through 2015.

Before coming to NDSU, Wilson was the Associate General Counsel of Miami University in Oxford, OH.  Prior to that, He was a corporate attorney with Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, a law firm nationally known for its representation of higher education institutions. 

Wilson received his law degree from Cornell Law School and his undergraduate degree from Duke University.  He is currently working towards his Ph.D. in education at NDSU. 

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute’s mission is to promote democratic participation in social and ethical issues affecting the Northern Plains and beyond.  The NPEI fulfills its charge by engaging citizens in various discussions focusing on what kind of society they want to live in and how they go about creating it.

Presented byBlake A. Klinkner, Ph.D. UND School of Law

Watch the presentation on the NPEIs YouTube Channel here

Abstract: In this presentation, Prof. Blake A. Klinkner will discuss the ways in which rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI) will impact the future of higher education. Prof. Klinkner will discuss how AI will change higher education as early as the college application and admissions process. Prof. Klinkner will then address topics including the teaching of AI in the higher education curriculum, the training and use of AI among students, and AI on examinations. Whether educators like it or not, AI is already here, and it will only become more prevalent as it advances, and therefore educators would be best served by learning more about AI and understanding the ways in which they may acknowledge and incorporate AI into higher education.

Biography: Blake A. Klinkner is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of North Dakota School of Law, where he teaches Civil Procedure, Cybersecurity Law, Law and Technology, and Law Practice Management. Prior to joining UND Law, Blake served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Washburn University School of Law, where he taught Evidence, Academic Support, and Bar Exam Preparation. Blake has authored the Tech Tips column in the Wyoming State Bar journal since 2015. Blake completed his undergraduate degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his master’s degree at Northern Illinois University, and his juris doctor at the University of Utah School of Law. The graduating class of Washburn University School of Law recently named Blake as the 2022-23 Professor of the Year.

This event is sponsored by the NPEI, NDSU School of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, the Dakota Digital Academy, and Tri-College University.

If you have any questions or comments, then please contact Dennis Cooley at dennis.cooley@ndsu.edu or ndsu.npei@ndsu.edu.

Dr. Rupak Gandhi, Superintendent of the Fargo Public Schools

Ethical Issues in Education

12-1:30pm, October 24, 2023, Location: Memorial Union’s Prairie Rose

View the presentation here on the NPEIs YouTube Channel. 

Abstract: Dr. Gandhi will discussed the variety of ethical decisions that superintendents face on a daily basis, as well as the importance of making decisions based on ethical principles. The presentation also addressed the importance of considering the implications of decisions impacting education. Specifically, using various ethical issues in education, the presentation focused on the short-term and long-term consequences of school district actions and explore how decisions impact students, staff, and community.

Biography:  Dr. Rupak Gandhi has served as the Fargo Public Schools superintendent of schools since July 2018. In October 2022, he was named the 2022-23 North Dakota Superintendent of the Year by the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders.

Dr. Gandhi completed his undergraduate studies in Political Science at Texas A&M University, holds a master’s degree in special education from Grand Canyon University, and holds his doctorate in educational leadership from Northwest Nazarene University. Dr. Gandhi has continued his professional education past his doctorate by completing the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program, AASA-USC Urban Superintendents Academy, Standards Institute, HWC Executive Leadership Institute, Texas Region IV Superintendent Academy, and Harvard Graduate School of Education UDL Summer Institute.

Professionally, Dr. Gandhi serves on the AASA Governance Committee, North Dakota K-12 Education Coordination Council, North Dakota School Study Council, and North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders legislative focus group. He is also a mentor for the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program.

This event is sponsored by the NPEI, NDSU School of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, the Dakota Digital Academy, and Tri-College University.

If you have any questions or comments, then please contact Dennis Cooley at dennis.cooley@ndsu.edu or ndsu.npei@ndsu.edu.

Anne Denton, Ph.D.
NDSU Department of Computer Science

Artist or Geek: What Is Artificial Intelligence and How Will It Impact Us?

12-1:30pm, October 10, 2023 - Memorial Union’s Hidatsa 

Watch the presentation here on the NPEIs YouTube Channel

Abstract: Artificial Intelligence is rapidly being used in new contexts. The social implications of these developments are hard to predict. We have decades of experience with automated systems that have extraordinary reasoning capabilities and can even beat grandmasters at chess. However, the newest types of artificially intelligent systems, like ChatGPT or Dall-E, are very different. When used for reasoning tasks, like chess, they often fail hilariously. Yet, they may compose essays that can be mistaken as written by a human and images that win art competitions. The presentation will explore opportunities and concerns as they relate to different types of artificially intelligent systems.

Biography:  Anne Denton is Professor in the Computer Science Department at North Dakota State University (NDSU). She received her Ph.D. in Physics from the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany, in 1996 and a M.S. in Computer Science from NDSU in 2003. Her research in data mining of complex data has been motivated by applications in genome mapping, remote sensing of agricultural fields, among many others. Currently, her work focuses on geospatial and ethics-related questions. Denton has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications and has led projects funded at a total of more than one million dollars.

This event is sponsored by the NPEI, NDSU School of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, the Dakota Digital Academy, and Tri-College.

If you have any questions or comments, then please contact Dennis Cooley at dennis.cooley@ndsu.edu or ndsu.npei@ndsu.edu.

AI and The Humanities seminars hosted by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute, School of Humanities, and Colleges of Arts and Sciences for:

Mark R. Hagerott, Ph. D., Chancellor, North Dakota University System

Promise and Pitfalls of Living with Intelligent Machines in the Age of AI

12-1:30pm, September 27, 2023, Location: Memorial Union’s Prairie Rose

Watch the presentation here on the NPEIs YouTube Channel. 

Abstract: The explosion of AI capability, demonstrated by CHAT-GPT released late last year, provides shocking evidence that we are entering an age of epic socio-technological transformation. The question of the Age will be: how to begin to share the planet and our societies with a new form of intelligence.

As we ponder AI and humanity, I will offer a framework to help inform our thinking and the development of adaptive strategies both with intelligent robots and in the metaverse/cyberspace.  History and experience can help be our guide, but it will be admitted that with AI, we are witnessing a profound break with the past. The world as we know it is passing away. Come and join the discussion of what might be, both the promise and the pitfalls, living with our new intelligent digital neighbors. 

Chancellor Hagerott asks that this be a very interactive discussion with the audience. The audience feedback will be included in an expanded article.

Bio:  Prior to his move back home to North Dakota, Dr. Hagerott served on the faculty and held numerous academic leadership roles at the United States Naval Academy. He also served as a planning and strategy director in one of the largest U.S. Army educational organizations, NATO Training Mission, which included army, air force, and medical school programs. Hagerott served as distinguished professor and deputy director of the Center for Cyber Security Studies at the Naval Academy and served on the Defense Science Board summer study of unmanned systems 2014-2015. He is a commissioner on the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, and Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

Chancellor Hagerott’s research and writing are focused on the evolution of technology, education, and changes in technical career paths, and he is the author of multiple articles and book chapters, with a recent emphasis on unmanned systems. He served as a non-resident cyber Fellow of the New America Foundation, 2015-2017. He was among the first military professors from the United States to brief the Geneva Convention on the challenge of lethal robotic machines and argue the merits of early arms control measures in 2014.  In addition, his proposals for national education reform of the Land Grant universities have been published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, and have been presented on Capitol Hill and the White House. 

This event is sponsored by the NPEI, NDSU School of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Dakota Digital Academy.

If you have any questions or comments, then please contact Dennis Cooley at dennis.cooley@ndsu.edu or ndsu.npei@ndsu.edu.

Humans, Machines & Cyber Space: Suggesting a Framework for Ethical Questions with Mark Hagerott, PhD. 

Watch the presentation on the NPEIs YouTube Channel here

Representative Mike Lefor is President of Blackridge Enterprises, LLC and has served in the ND House of Representatives since 2015. Among his service to the community, Rep Lefor has been President of the Dickinson Park Board, Chairman of the CHI St. Joseph Hospital and was on City Commission in 2016. Lefor is a graduate of Dickinson State University During the forum, Rep. Lefor will explain the evolution of the bill, the bill itself, and why it is important and what it means for North Dakotans, as well as discussing amendments he is proposing to the committee hearing the HB 1446 on Friday morning, 3 February 2023. After his presentation, Rep. Lefor will answer questions from the audience.

Tim Flakoll, Provost of Tri-College University and NPEI Advisor Board Chair, served as host and moderator.

Open to the public and free of charge.

For more information about HB, please visit: https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-0083-04000.pdf

Amended versions of HB1446 here and here

Chris Wilson, Chief of Staff, President’s Office, NDSU 

Watch the video of the event on the NPEIs YouTube Channel here.

Each citizen has a right to be part of the political process, but many state employees worry about violating laws or policies. The unfortunate result is that some unintentionally transgress, whereas others stand on the sidelines when there is no reason to do so. With a little caution and care, state employees can engage in political participation without problems.  Please come to learn more about current guidelines and to check with NDSU’s expert on the subject. 

The forum was open to the public, although question priority will go to North Dakota state employees. 

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute’s mission is to promote democratic participation in social and ethical issues affecting the Northern Plains and beyond.  The NPEI fulfills its charge by engaging citizens in various discussions focusing on what kind of society they want to live in and how they go about creating it. 

Please note that state employees may be subject to institution specific requirements that do not reflect those of NDSU.

Presented by: Roby Barrett, Ph.D., Middle East Institute, Washington, DC

“US Strategic Interests, the Ukraine War, and Thinking Global” Click here for the presentation on the NPEIs YouTube Channel

Abstract: Understanding the present within the context of the past is the key to projecting future developments. For example, the following excerpts are taken from a 2017 Special Operations Command briefing given by Dr. Roby C. Barrett:

“Russia without the Ukraine and the Baltics is a Regional Power;  with them it’s an empire. A new “Nomenklatura” presiding over increased defense spending, a failed economy, and declining population with little option to expand territory or decline further.”

Over the last three decades, the challenge in US foreign policy has been to focus on strategic interests and dealing with tactical challenges that perpetually face a ‘Great Power.’ This is an exercise in evaluating existential threats and those tactical threats with the potential to morph into strategic problems. Given the current environment Geopolitically speaking, the US has two existential threats — China and Russia. China is driven by a rediscovered, or perhaps a reimagined, nationalism that emphasizes economic and commercial penetration followed by political and military influence. That said, China has societal imbalances that have the potential to threaten its fundamental stability. For Russia, the situation is far direr. The would-be emperor and the empire have no clothes. Seven months of war in the Ukraine has revealed that militarily it has only its nuclear arsenal and the economy only its raw materials — a hollowed-out state coupled to a colossal failure in leadership. Then, there are tactical threats that have the potential to become strategic problems. The US identifying the second-tier threats has been problematic. This presentation will touch on all these issues with a focus on U.S. priorities for next two years.

Biography: Dr. Roby C. Barrett is a Fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Forum at Cambridge University and a scholar with the Middle East Institute, Washington, D.C. Author of The Greater Middle East and the Cold War: U.S. Foreign Policy under Eisenhower and Kennedy, 1958–1963, Dr. Barrett is recognized for his expertise, experience, and publications on the Middle East. Secondarily, his expertise focuses on Russia, the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and arms development. Originally trained as a Russian and Soviet expert during the Cold War, he served as an intelligence analyst in the Eastern European intelligence branch of the US government where his writing was published in the Presidential Daily Brief (PDB). Later he worked on intelligence collection issues related to Soviet weapons develop and proliferation. He is an expert on Soviet and Russian relations in the Middle East. In a 2016 National Intelligence Office (NIO) exercise on Russian operations and goals in the Middle East, he served as the combined intelligence team leader on the Persian Gulf. As Corporate Vice President for Special Programs at Science Applications International, he did extensive work on U.S. strategic and nuclear issues related to the Soviet Union including the Strategic Defense Initiative “Star Wars” and nuclear issues.

 A recipient of the Guittard Graduate Fellowship at Baylor University, Dr. Barrett studied Russian history focusing on messianic ideas inherent in Russian Orthodox theology and their relationship to Soviet/Russian exceptionalist self-imaging as detailed in his work, A Historiographical Study of Nicholas Zernov. He received a Scottish Rite Graduate Fellowship for expanded studies and research in Soviet and East European political science. Dr. Barrett was awarded the Rotary International Graduate Fellowship for study at the Institute for Eastern European and Soviet studies at the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. He was awarded a second Scottish Rite Fellowship for study and research at Oxford University in Russian history. In addition, he received a scholarship for Russian language study at the Dolmetscher Institut, Munich, Germany. Subsequently, Dr. Barrett graduated from the two-year Middle East Studies and Arabic Language program at the Foreign Service Institute, Washington, D.C. and Tunis, Tunisia, and holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern and South Asian history from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in Russian history from Baylor University, and an M.A. in political science focusing on Eastern European politics.

Sponsored by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute and NDSU’s Department of Political Science.

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU hosted a student panel on free speech and academic freedom. The event was Tuesday, May 3, at noon in the Memorial Union Nueta room. The discussion was also available on Zoom. Click here to view the presentation on the NPEIs YouTube channel.

Panel members included Luna Zauhar, Seth Lumley, Carter Eisinger and Joy Dahlen.

Zauhar is a senior at NDSU double majoring in political science and international studies with an emphasis in pre-law.

Lumley is a junior majoring in political science and minoring in pre-law.

Eisinger is a mechanical and electrical engineering student at NDSU, and will graduate in fall 2022.

A fourth-year student, Dahlen is a pharmacy major with a minor in business administration.

The public forum was the final segment of the “Exploring Academic Freedom/Freedom of Speech” project of the Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU, Tri-College University, Humanities ND, NDSU Student Government, and the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Zauher, Lumley, Eisinger and Dahlen led the conversation and engaged with audience questions.

The event was provided free of charge to all NDSU stakeholders and the public.

As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.

_{(photo courtesy of www.rossfcollins.com/photography)}

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was examined during “The First: How to Think about Hate Speech, Campus Speech, Religious Speech, Fake News, and Post-Truth,” an event Friday, April 1, at noon in the NDSU Memorial Union’s Anishinaabe Theater in the Memorial Union and on Zoom. 

Stanley Fish, Davidson-Kahn Distinguished University Professor of Humanities and Law at Florida International University, discussed such questions as:

• How does the First Amendment really work?

• Is it a principle or a value?

• What is hate speech and should it always be banned?

• Are we free to declare our religious beliefs in the public square?

• What role, if any, should companies like Facebook play in policing the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and opinions?

Fish argued that freedom of speech is a double-edged concept – it frees us from constraints, but it also frees us to say and do terrible things.

Fish previously taught at the University of California, Berkeley; Johns Hopkins University; Duke University; and the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he was the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He has received many honors and awards, including being named the Chicagoan of the Year for Culture. He is the author of several renowned books, including “Winning Argument,” “How Milton Works,” “There’s No Such Thing as Free Speech: And It’s a Good Thing, Too” and “How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One.” He is a former columnist for the New York Times and his articles have appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Harper’s, Esquire and the Atlantic.

Fish signed copies of his book both before and after his presentation outside the NDSU Bookstore in the Memorial Union.

The event was sponsored by Tri-College University, Humanities ND, NDSU Student Government, the Northern Plains Ethics Institute and the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Issues and questions about free speech was the topic of “Free Speech: A Community Conversation,” a panel held on Tuesday, March 22, at noon in NDSU’s Memorial Union’s Room of Nations and via Zoom.

Howard A. Dahl of Amity Technology and Jack Zaleski, retired editorial page editor, will discuss what free speech is, what it contributes to a democratic society, and some of the justifiable and unjustifiable limitations on it. 

The public forum is part of the “Exploring Academic Freedom/Freedom of Speech” project of the Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU, Tri-College University, Humanities ND, NDSU Student Government, and the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Howard A. Dahl is president and CEO ofAmity Technology, LLC in Fargo, ND.  He holds degrees from the University of North Dakota and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and has done graduate work in Philosophy at the University of Florida. Dahl sits on a number of boards including the Russian American Institute’s Board of Regents, The Trinity Forum’s Board of Trustees, the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Board of Directors, and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Mr. Dahl has also served as Director and Audit Chair for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and as a board member of the North Dakota Trade. 

Jack Zaleski is an award-winning journalist who retired in 2017 after 30 years as editorial page editor of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He is the author of 2020’s Forum Communications Company: A Narrative History 1980-2018. A native of New Britain, Connecticut, Zaleski was educated in New Britain public schools and the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where he worked for a short time at the university’s Office of Public Information. Zaleski is a member of the North Dakota Newspaper Association “50-Year Club,” and a former member of the National Conference of Editorial Writers and the NCEW Foundation’s board of directors. His honors for editorials and opinion columns include two first place Herman Roe Editorial Writing Awards (2012, 2018) from the Minnesota Newspaper Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Northern Plains Ethics Institute at North Dakota State University.

Statement about this event from the NPEI Director

Click here for the recorded presentation on the NPEIs YouTube Channel. 

See the presentation on the NPEI's YouTube channel here

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU has announced Edward (Ed) O'Keefe presented on December 14^th. He delved into the historical importance of the United States' 26th president and his legacy's impact on present and future generations. O’Keefe provided project updates, as well as discussed the schematic and experiential design processes, building in the North Dakotan Badlands, and ethical considerations of the project.

O’Keefe participated in the NPEI’s long running Public Fora series on Tuesday, Dec. 14, at noon via Zoom. His presentation - Living Library: The Life and Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt for Future Generations – began the program, followed by a moderated conversation, and then audience questions until around 1:30pm.

Jace Beehler, Chief of Staff to Governor Burgum and NPEI Advisory Board member, served as moderator for the forum.

Edward O'Keefe, Chief Executive Officer of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, is a Grand Forks native who spent nearly twenty years in journalism as an EP at ABC, Editor-in-Chief at NowThis, and SVP at CNN. Ed lives in New York City with his wife Allison and their two children.

As a Harvard Kennedy School Fellow, O’Keefe delved into TR's papers and began laying the groundwork for his forthcoming book, The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt.

The event was provided free of charge by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute and Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation to all NDSU stakeholders and the public.

Presented by Roby Barrett, Ph.D., Middle East Institute, Washington, DC

2:00 p.m., October 12, 2021 at the NDSU Memorial Union, Anishinaabe Theater[1]

Abstract: This presentation places Afghanistan and the “Endless War” in a broader more strategic framework. For 20 years, the events of 9/11 mesmerized U.S. foreign policy and drove a failed effort to transform Afghanistan into a “sovereign” state – something that it never was and never could be. The understandable obsession with “The Global War on Terror” obscured broader strategic interests and undermined other more important priorities as U.S. poured untold treasure and thousands of lives into the failed efforts to “stabilize”, “democratize”, and “liberalize” Afghanistan and Iraq as well. This is an effort to think about the future by understanding a present that is informed by the past – past as present, present as future – and answer critical questions about the strategic interests of the United States.

[1]All in-person attendees are required to wear masks and maintain social distancing according to NDSU directives.

For more information see the Forum article here and the NDSU news item here

 Click here to see the full presentation. 

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU and the YWCA Cass Clay announced Teri A. Finneman was the Learning the Language of Diversity and Meaningful Inclusion program’s September speaker. 

Dr. Finneman participated in the conversation series on Tuesday, September 7, at noon Central Time via Zoom. Her presentation - "I Always Watched Eyewitness News Just to See Your Beautiful Smile": The Ethical Implications of Sexism & TV News – began the program, which was followed by moderated conversation and audience questions. 

In this talk, Finneman argued that the rise of social media in recent years has created increasingly concerning problems for women who work in television as they receive sexist and downright sleazy comments from viewers on their social media accounts. Through a national survey and analysis of journalists' Facebook pages, it's become clear that employers are not doing enough to protect their employees with supportive social media policies. This session included an open discussion of sexism and how to shift cultural attitudes toward women in the workplace. 

Teri Finneman, Ph.D. Teri Finneman is a journalism professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. Finneman is also the author of Press Portrayals of Women Politicians, 1870s-2000s. She is a former reporter for The Fargo Forum and WDAY and is Past Chair of the AEJMC History Division. 

The event was provided free of charge by Leann Wolff of Great Outcomes Consulting, the Northern Plains Ethics Institute, the YWCA Cass Clay, and Humanities ND, and to all NDSU stakeholders and the public. 

 Click here to see the full presentation

Molly Secor-Turner, PhD, RN, FSAHM
Professor, School of Nursing and Department of Public Health, NDSU 

Decision making about sexuality education for youth in the United States has long been influenced politics, religion, parental rights and discussions of morality. Although sexual development and sexuality are part of the basic experience of being human, open discussion about sexuality is often limited, especially in socially conservative areas. Protecting the health of youth in North Dakota depends on access to accurate sexual health information and access to reproductive health services.  

Despite strong evidence for comprehensive sexuality education’s effectiveness and abstinence-until-marriage education’s demonstrated ineffectiveness in reducing risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection among youth, North Dakota continues to have laws that require an abstinence-based education.  

The purpose of this presentation is to describe the state of sexuality education in North Dakota, provide an overview of the politics associated with sexuality education, and discuss the implications of politicizing sexuality education on the health of youth in North Dakota.

Bio:  Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to her research, Molly Secor-Turner explores methods to improve adolescent health through reducing risk and building protection in the lives of youth. Her work focuses on how social context shapes adolescent sexual health, access to youth-friendly health services, and global health. For nearly a decade, she has led the implementation and evaluation evidence-based comprehensive sexuality education in community settings across North Dakota. She is particularly interested in understanding how tailoring evidence-based strategies to context can help improve health outcomes for at-risk populations of youth.   

Secor-Turner received her Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Minnesota in 2008 and she is currently a Professor in the NDSU School of Nursing and Department of Public Health Community Health Sciences specialization. She is a fellow in the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. She currently serves as the NDSU Faculty Senate Past-President.

You can see the recording of this presenstation on the NPEI’s YouTube page here

UPDATE: We followed up with the NDSU administration on the cancelled class mentioned near the end of this recording (52:35). From our understanding, the involved parties met to discuss the issue, determined there was a miscommunication, and resolved the issue. NDSU's administration reaffirmed their commitment to protecting and supporting academic freedom.

University of Michigan Experimental Sociolinguist participated in NDSU diversity conversation on confronting linguistic racism

See the full presentation here on the NPEI's YouTube channel.

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU and the YWCA Cass Clay have announced Kelly Elizabeth Wright will be the Learning the Language of Diversity and Meaningful Inclusion program’s April speaker.

Wright participated in the conversation series on Monday, April 19, at noon Central Time via Zoom. Her presentation began the program, and was followed by moderated conversation and audience questions.

In this talk, Wright provided a historical, sociolinguistic account of Linguistic Racism in the United States by cataloguing how it manifests in the founding documents of this nation, which equate Whiteness with Standard Language use. Attendees learned about the ramifications of the defaulting of White Mainstream English by considering the process of naturalization, US educational histories, and failures of our legal system. Wright shared contemporary examples of Linguistic Racism from her research on media representations of Black athletes and voice-based discrimination in the housing market. This talk ended with a discussion of inclusive language, focusing on action steps we can take every day as educators, administrators, and citizens to create equitable and representative spaces. 

Kelly Wright's research focuses on the link between Linguistic Production and Perception. She applies mixed methodologies including machine learning; massive corpora studies; perceptual and cognitive experimentation; and quantitative phonetic and qualitative sociolinguistic analyses. She upholds the civic responsibility of higher education through the creation and distribution of public-facing scholarship. Currently, Wright is developing a dissertation on Raciolinguistic Ideologies and Black Professional Speech. Her previous research has examined Language Planning and Policy; Reification of ideology through popular print media; Linguistic Profiling in the housing market; and Sociosemantic Field development and change over time.

The event was provided free of charge by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute, NDSU Office of the President, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the YWCA Cass Clay, Humanities ND, and the Department of Anthropology and Sociology to all NDSU stakeholders and the public.

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU and the YWCA Cass Clay have announced Professor Joo Ok Kim will be the Learning the Language of Diversity and Meaningful Inclusion program’s March speaker.

Kim participatee in the conversation series on Wednesday, March 24, at noon Central Time via Zoom. Her presentation - Attending to Racial Violence and Anti-Racism– began the program, followed by moderated conversation and audience questions.

The presentation is organized around the question of how might we attend to histories of racial violence and contemporary anti-racist movements? Kim’s presentation reviews some ongoing dialogues on race and racism; foregrounds historical and current anti-racist work converging across racial justice movements; and offers community-based, activist, and academic tools and methods as resources for dismantling racist structures.

Joo Ok Kim is Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Kansas. Her book, Warring Genealogies: Race, Kinship, and the Korean War (Temple University Press, 2022), examines the racial legacies of the Korean War through Chicano cultural production and U.S. archives of white supremacy.

The event is provided free of charge by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute, NDSU Office of the President, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the YWCA Cass Clay, Humanities ND, and the Department of Anthropology and Sociology to all NDSU stakeholders and the public.

Watch the full presentation on the NPEI's YouTube channel here. 

Dr. Kim TallBear was the Learning the Language of Diversity and Meaningful Inclusion program’s February speaker.

TallBear participated in the conversation series on Monday, February 21, at noon Central Time via Zoom. Her presentation - Indigenization, Reconciliation, and Decolonization in Science – will begin the program, followed by moderated conversation and audience questions.

Scientific research, technology, and related policy are performed within our society that is foundationally structured by hierarchical, Eurocentric, and colonial narratives and worldviews. No one is exempt from such influence, including scientists, engineers, and other disciplinarians. In this talk, Dr. TallBear highlights colonial assumptions and practices, and resistance to those ideas in several research case studies drawn from the genome and health sciences and from green building. She also highlights a program that helps train Indigenous genome scientists in order to increase the benefit of genome research for Indigenous peoples. Finally, Dr. TallBear provides those within and beyond the university an analytical framework to understand the relationships between “inclusion,” "Indigenization," "reconciliation," and "decolonization," in order to help us envision possibilities and concrete steps for science and technology to aid decolonization.

Kim TallBear is Associate Professor, Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta, and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment. She is the author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science. Dr. TallBear founded a research group at the University of Alberta, Indigenous Science, Technology, and Society (IndigenousSTS.com). She is a co-founder of the Summer internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING) Canada and a faculty member of SING USA (www.singconsortium.org). Dr. TallBear is a regular commentator in US, Canadian, and UK media outlets on issues related to Indigenous peoples, science, technology, and environment. She is a regular panelist on the Canadian-based weekly podcast, Media Indigena. She is a citizen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate and is also descended from the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.

The event is provided free of charge by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute, NDSU Office of the President, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the YWCA Cass Clay, Humanities ND, and the Department of Anthropology and Sociology to all NDSU stakeholders and the public.

Watch the full presentation on the NPEI's YouTube channel here.

Watch the recording on our YouTube Channel here

Thomas Nagel’s famous essay on “What it is like to be a bat?” demonstrates the intractability of cognitive closure, and the (often unethical) chauvinism of persons and groups. To be sure, this chauvinism doesn’t guarantee the discard of others (or difference), but it most often operationalizes either a self-priority or “us vs them” mentality. A major ethical problem, in my opinion, is that this way of thinking perpetuates artificial and unimportant variables that makes naming intractable. “What is it like to be black?” is a different question from “what it is like to be African American?” (or American African or African American living in a non-American society). Chauvinistic perpetuation of unimportant variables pushes questions of identity/genealogy and epistemology/ontology when one tries to be discursive about race, racism, and anti-black racism. Ultimately, an-other may be able to understand what it is like to be black (through empathic considerations derived from beliefs, pain, desires, aspirations, etc.), but knowing what it is like to be black is impossible. Thus, people of good will should put in the energy and the effort to achieve good will, embrace inclusion and diversity, and eradicate anti-black racism (and all other discriminatory practices).   

Dr. Hodge currently serves as Associate Director of Education for the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Healthcare at Tuskegee University. In this role, which he began in October 2017, he coordinates the center’s Bioethics Honors program and bioethics minor, its annual Public Health Ethics Intensive Course, and various outreach programs designed to engage the center’s target audiences, as well as teaches bioethics and public health ethics courses.

Watch the presentation on our YouTube Channel here

Chris Wilson, Chief of Staff, President’s Office, North Dakota State University

Knowing Your Rights and Wrongs:  How to Engage Politically as an NDSU Employee

It is a right to be part of the political process, but many NDSU employees worry about violating laws or policies.  However, with a little caution and care, employees can engage in political participation without problems.  Please come to learn more about current guidelines and to check with the university’s expert on the subject.

NDUS Policy 308.3 Political Activities

NDSU Policy 160 Political Activities and Voting Rights of University Employees

NDCC 16.1-10 Corrupt Practices

AAUP 1940 Statement on Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute’s mission is to promote democratic participation in social and ethical issues affecting the Northern Plains and beyond.  The NPEI fulfills its charge by engaging citizens in various discussions focusing on what kind of society they want to live in and how they go about creating it.

See the full video here on the NPEI's YouTube Channel.

NY Times’ “The Ethicist” to participate in NDSU diversity conversation

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU and the YWCA Cass Clay have announced May Ling Halim will be the Learning the Language of Diversity and Meaningful Inclusion program’s December speaker.  See the full presentation here

Halim is scheduled to participate in the conversation series on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at noon Central Time via Zoom. Her presentation - The Development of Prejudice and Stereotyping from a Psychological Perspective: Challenges and Potential Solutions – will begin the program, followed by moderated conversation and audience questions.

Present-day injustices experienced by people of color have sparked outrage and a demand for change. Halim argues that we have gained a large body of psychological research that can inform us about the challenges human nature presents in facilitating prejudice and stereotyping and about possible solutions to reduce it.

Halim’s talk will have three broad sections. In the first, Halim discusses how prejudice has been defined within the field of psychology and shares research showing how racial/ethnic discrimination can affect children’s health, academic achievement and motivation, and well-being. In the second, she  talks about a number of human tendencies psychology has identified that facilitates us to form stereotypes about groups and show bias. Finally, Halim presents possible solutions to reduce prejudice based on psychological research. I will focus on how adults can monitor language use that inadvertently emphasizes race/ethnicity as an all-encompassing category, such as the use of generics, labels, and contrasts. I will also discuss why striving to shape colorblind children is not realistic and can, in fact, be harmful to efforts to dismantle racism. Relatedly, I will discuss ways that parents and teachers can be proactive in their efforts to talk about race/ethnicity with their children and students. Finally, I will highlight work that stems from intergroup contact theory showing how encouraging friendships and cooperation among children from different racial/ethnic groups can be effective in reducing prejudice.

Dr. May Ling Halim is an Associate Professor of Psychology at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Dr. Halim completed her MA and PhD in Social Psychology with a Developmental Focus and Quantitative Minor at New York University and her BA in Psychology at Stanford University. Dr. Halim has won numerous awards and grants, such as from the National Science Foundation and the American Psychological Foundation Kenneth B. and Mamie P. Clark Fund. She has been invited to speak at several events and universities, such as at the Society for Research on Child Development Biennial Meeting, and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology Meeting. Her research spans two broad areas. The first is gender and racial/ethnic identity development in children of different cultures. The second is the effects of group discrimination on health and well-being. Her research papers have been published in national academic journals such as Child Development, Developmental Psychology, and Health Psychology. Her work has also been featured in the popular media, such as on NBC Think, NPR and in Psychology Today.

The event is provided free of charge by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the YWCA Cass Clay, Humanities ND, and the NDSU Department of Anthropology and Sociology to all NDSU stakeholders and the public.

The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU and the YWCA Cass Clay announced Kwame Anthony Appiah was the Learning the Language of Diversity and Meaningful Inclusion program’s October speaker.

Appiah participated in the conversation series on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at noon via Zoom. His presentation - Understanding "Racisms" and Racialism – began the program, followed by a moderated conversation, and then audience questions until around 2pm.

Exciting and erudite, Kwame Anthony Appiah challenges us to look beyond the boundaries—real and imagined—that divide us, and to celebrate our common humanity. Named one of Foreign Policy’s Top 100 public intellectuals, one of the Carnegie Corporation’s “Great Immigrants,” and awarded a National Humanities Medal by The White House, Appiah currently teaches at NYU, though he’s previously taught at Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Duke, and the University of Ghana. He considers readers’ ethical quandries in a weekly column as “The Ethicist” for The New York Times Magazine. From 2009 to 2012 he served as President of the PEN American Center, the world’s oldest human rights organization. He is currently chair of The Man Booker Prize.  

Anthony Appiah’s book Cosmopolitanism is a manifesto for a world where identity has become a weapon and where difference has become a cause of pain and suffering. Cosmopolitanism won the Arthur Ross Book Award, the most significant prize given to a book on international affairs. In The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen, Appiah lays out how honor propelled moral revolutions in the past—and could do so in the future. Walter Isaacson calls it “an indispensible book for both moral philosophers and honorable citizens.” Among his most recent books are As If: Idealization and Ideals, an exploration of the way ideals facilitate human progress; Mistaken Identities, further explores subjects of his popular BBC series; and the brand new The Lies That Bind, an incandescent exploration of the nature and history of the identities that define us. 
Kwame Anthony Appiah was born in London to a Ghanaian father and a white mother. He was raised in Ghana, and educated in England, at Cambridge University, where he received a Ph.D. in philosophy. As a scholar of African and African-American studies, he established himself as an intellectual with a broad reach. His book In My Father's House and his collaborations with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.—including The Dictionary of Global Culture and Africana—are major works of African struggles for self-determination. In 2009, he was featured in Astra Taylor’s documentary Examined Life, alongside Martha Nussbaum, SlavojZizek, and other leading contemporary philosophers.

The event was provided free of charge by the Northern Plains Ethics Institute, the YWCA Cass Clay, Humanities ND, and the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences to all NDSU stakeholders and the public. However, registration was required.

YWCA’s Racial Justice Committee presented their first ever virtual circle dialogue on race, on October 8, 2020 leading up to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This event is a virtual adaptation of dialogues we’ve hosted in the past in connection with the exhibit RACE: Are We So Different? co-owned by YWCA and the Science Museum of Minnesota. Due to the pandemic, the RACE Exhibit is currently closed to the public, but we look forward to working with organizations and groups to safely view and host events around the exhibit in the future at our new Administrative Offices (4650 38^th Ave. S, Suite 110 in Fargo). We hope this will be a catalyst for a continued series of conversations about race and equity in our community and will continue to be in touch about further opportunities and events.

1st Think and Drink sponsored by NPEI and Humanities North Dakota a success.

KVRR news story click here

Science, Religion, and Lunch Seminar presented by Larry Reynolds

You Are What Your Parents Ate (and Did)

Charles Sawicki

Retired Professor of Physics, NDSU

Topic: Religion and the Formation of Empires

MU's Meadow Lark, North Dakota State University

Powerpoint Presentation

Mark Hagerott

Chancellor of the North Dakota University System

Topic: Can Humans Flourish in the Age of Robots, Cyberspace, and Artificial Intelligence: Suggesting a Theoretical Framework...and What This Might Mean for the University of the Future

MU's Century Theater, North Dakota State University

Watch the presentation on the NPEI's YouTube channel

The Presentation Slides

INFORUM Article on this upcoming presentation

The TedX Talk

Abstract and Bio

Video Link for Health and Poverty: Stress and Food Deserts, A Public Conversation

Link to the North Dakota food desert map:

http://hungerfreend.org/data/

Link to the PPB podcast series:

https://news.prairiepublic.org/programs/hunger-free-nd

Thursday, June 6 - Saturday, June 8, 2019

Cedarville University, Cedarville Ohio

Flyer

18-April-2019

View Panel Discussion here

January 7-8-9, 2019
Amphithéâtre Lavoisier A (3rd floor)
Centre Universitaire des Saints Pères 75006 Paris

Program

15 November 2018 in the Memorial Union’s Room of Nations 

Panel with Chris Wilson, Chief of Staff the NDSU’s President

October 25, 2018 Century Theater, NDSU Campus

The questions for this presentation were:

1.     What do you think is the difference between opinion and reporting? Please ground your answer in your experience.

2.     What is the value of good opinion?  What is the value in good reporting?

3.     How do you develop a story?  What does a week look for you? 

4.     If it happens, what do you do when you get a story (opinion) wrong?

5.     In the current climate, what challenges are there?

6.     How do you know that your communication was effective?

View Panel Discussion here

Chris Wilson

Chief of Staff the NDSU’s President

13 September 2018 in the Memorial Union’s Room of Nations

March 28, 2018, 7-9 p.m., Skoal Room, VCSU’s Student Center, Valley City State University, Valley City, ND
Free and Open to the Public, Refreshments Provided, Students Welcome

NDSU’s Northern Plains Ethics Institute and ThinkND hostrf a conversation about “What is Good Government in North Dakota?” on Wednesday, March 28th, from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. in the Skoal Room in the VCSU Student Center on the Valley City State University campus. The Bush Foundation and the North Dakota Humanities Council awarded ThinkND grants for this project.  The discussion featured moderators Luis Da Vinha, assistant professor of political science in the Geography and Political Science Department at Valley City State University, and Scott Hennen, radio talk show host broadcasting from The Flag, KFYR Bismarck, KTGO Williston, Tioga, Watford City, and KLTC Dickinson, and author of Grass Roots, A Commonsense Action Plan for America.

The moderators gave opening remarks and engaged in audience conversations about: What makes good government? What makes a good legislator or governor? What makes a good citizen?

According to institute director Dennis Cooley, North Dakotans have reported that trust in government has eroded. “They feel that rapid changes in everyday life and government at every level have left many disconnected, if not reeling,” Cooley said. “Facts seem often to contradict one another. Legislators are not as accessible as they used to be. Concerned citizens attending government hearings often feel dismissed, as if decisions have already been made. There are concerns about out-of-state money influencing government decisions. This comes at a time when trust is needed to pursue success for each citizen and the state.”

The discussion was part of a multi-faceted initiative to engage North Dakota citizens and academic experts in a discussion about ethics and trust in government. The elements of the initiative include:

·        Five gatherings of academics and citizens around the state

·        A culminating event at the Heritage Center in Bismarck

·        Participation in statewide conference programs and radio talk shows

·        A series of Dakota Datebook programs on Prairie Public Radio

The project focused on academic collaboration, participant engagement and preserving or creating content for re-use. Scholars addressed such topics as the role of ethical behavior in the history of North Dakota government, how ethical government affects a state’s economy, the cost of mistrust and other matters related the requirements of good government.

The gatherings focused on local thought leaders; teachers; students; people involved with township, city and county government; rural residents and the Native community.

“By providing an opportunity to engage in conversations with each other and experts from the academic community, a grass works-based framework for possibly rethinking government can be sketched out,” Cooley said.

Flyer

The panel included:
Dr. Anne Blackhurst (President of Minnesota State University Moorhead)
Dr. Lynne A. Kovash (Superintendent, Moorhead Area Public Schools)

Arlette Preston (owner of Home Instead Senior Care) served as the moderator.

Thursday, December 1, 2016
Rourke Art Gallery and Museum

The panel discussed the following questions:

1. How do educational opportunities help people think differently in regard to the values underlying health and their place in the world?
a. How are recidivism and education linked?
2. Where is the educational system failing our community?
3. Where is the educational system being successful?
4. What changes would you recommend?
5. What can we do in the community to help?

Dr. Felix Fernando, North Dakota State University

18 November, 2015

View PowerPoint Presentation here

NDSU’s Northern Plains Ethics Institute hosted its Spring 2013 panel Discussion on 4 April 2013.

Two internationally known policy specialists on the Middle East and security issues in the region conducted a panel discussion and question and answer session on U.S.-Iran relations and the ongoing nuclear crisis with Iran. The panel members were Allen Keiswetter, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs and now Senior Consultant at the international law firm SNR Denton, and Dr. Roby C. Barrett, a former Foreign Service Officer and a Senior Fellow for Strategic Studies and Applied Intelligence at the Joint Special Operations University of U.S. Special Operations Command. Both Mr. Keiswetter and Dr. Barrett are Scholars at the Public Policy Center of the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

The panel discussion focused on the questions of Iran and its nuclear program as well as addressed broader regional security issues including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Gulf and Israel within the context of the current crisis between Iran, its Arab neighbors, the European Union and the United States. The topics of war and diplomacy were central to the discussion.

The 20th century witnessed the Holocaust, an unparalleled evil in the eyes of most people, as well as attempted genocide in Rwanda. The beginning of the 21st century saw the launching of a so-called “war” against terrorism, proclaimed to be a struggle of good against evil. BUT WHAT IS EVIL? If we don’t know what we’re struggling against, we’re unlikely to be successful. We can kill plenty of people, but we won’t know that we’re killing evil people. Nonviolence provides a perspective from which to answer this question and points the way to a more constructive response to violence than mere condemnation and force.

Professor Robert Holmes distinguished career in ethics and peace studies has taken him around the world. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Rochester. He is the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Professor of Peace and Disarmament, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and is a former Fulbright Lecturer, Moscow State University. Most recently, he held the McCullough Distinguished Visiting Professor of Political Philosophy, Hamilton College. He has also served as president of the international group, Concerned Philosophers for Peace.

A panel-led discussion that examined the Morrill Act of 1862 and considered what it means to be a land grant university, both historically and for the future. The forum was led by Thomas Isern, University Distinguished Professor, and moderated by John Helgeland, NDSU professor of religious studies and director of the Northern Plains Ethics Institute. Featured panelists included:

·        James Carlson, Founder of PRACS Institute

·        Richard Hanson, Interm President NDSU

·        Mark Meister, Assoc. Prof. of Communications, President NDSU University Senate