For the past three years, I edited and published your beliefs — WashU students, faculty, and alumni. The experience was extremely difficult, and it fundamentally changed me. I often grappled with the lines between respectful and inflammatory, productive and unproductive, and opinion and misinformation. Meanwhile, I actively questioned how my beliefs influenced my work.

The greatest challenge came during the Israel-Palestine protests — one of the most divisive times on campus.

Back then, opinion submissions felt never-ending. I spent hours in the conference room alongside the Forum editing staff, scouring over every line and hyperlink. We labored to preserve each writer’s voice while staying committed to respectful and open dialogue.

There were many articles that I agreed with, while others deeply challenged my beliefs. Coming from the politically insular Bay Area, I’d never had my values seriously confronted. At times, the editing process brought me to tears, as I questioned what people’s opinions meant for the future of our world.

Writers frequently misunderstood our edits and assumed they were based in bias and malintent. I learned to put myself in their shoes and moved forward from a place of empathy. 

Empathy means different things to different people. For me, it means understanding a person’s background and the basis for their opinions. As an editor, I gave constructive criticism from that understanding. As a human, I continue to use it to ground conversations. 

Importantly, empathy does not mean agreement. I had empathy while drastically disagreeing with the sentiments of many writers. It does not require you to sacrifice your values or beliefs, but instead to understand someone else’s. Productive dialogue can only come from this place.

Still, I am not asking that people participate in conversations with beliefs that are hateful or bigoted. There are definitely individuals who are not productive to speak to or worth your brain space. If you feel that a conversation is growing hateful, it is OK to step out of the discussion.

In StudLife, starting with empathy meant intentionally changing how I delivered my edits. Rather than going straight to a critique that would trigger defensiveness, I’d clarify that I understood where the author was coming from. I would often reiterate my understanding of their perspective and clarify how I was helping them better get at this viewpoint. I often found that these techniques made writers willing to understand our mission as a section.

As we published more articles, I heard people talking about them as I walked across campus. Others questioned me in person. I received positive feedback but a lot of negative feedback, too, from readers on all sides of the conflict. While intimidating at first, these responses made me realize that we were doing something right. Students across a spectrum of beliefs confronted opinions that they disagreed with, which they were less likely to interact with in another setting.

The dialogue Forum created traveled beyond its pages. 

After talking to friends from other universities about the culture on their campuses, I know that the opportunity to read and discuss opposing viewpoints is unique. It is our greatest strength as a community, and it helps us grow as people and as a group in living and learning alongside one another.

As the former Managing Forum Editor, I helped create a platform for people to share their perspectives and interact with others. More importantly, the Forum meetings that I led — the highlight of my week — were a physical space to have these conversations. Voicing your opinions and listening and responding to opposing ones is an exceptionally difficult practice. As I watched students grow as writers and participants in open dialogue and experienced changes in my own thinking while navigating my role, I witnessed our empathy and common ground grow, too.

As the students who witnessed the divisions of Israel-Palestine on campus leave, I hope that people continue to have challenging conversations with each other. It may start with writing an article for Forum or coming to a meeting, but it can also take place in a classroom, dorm, or dining hall. Still, empathy must ground the conversation. 

My entire college career has been dedicated to forging a space where these discussions can thrive, and the commitment was worthwhile. In my final Forum meeting, I watched two writers, infamous for their debates, agree without qualification. Everyone in the room applauded.