Interview: Leadership Seminar Alumnus Peter Foradora ’22

Peter Foradora ’22 graduated Bucknell University in early January, making him (along with fellow graduate Ben Martinez ’22) the first alumni of the Open Discourse Coalition’s Leadership Seminar. The seminar examines leadership in depth across several disciplines, cultures, and time periods throughout history. 

Student demand has been overwhelming for this off-campus opportunity to engage with peers in a unique environment of openness and civil discussion. We asked Peter about his experience with the seminar and how groups like the Open Discourse Coalition (ODC) can continue serving students in higher education. 

ODC: What did you think of the seminar? 

Peter: It was a great experience. The seminar gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of people I didn’t know before. I don’t think I knew anybody in the course before I took it. Professor Gruver provided a space where we could all speak without feeling like we had to hold back as long as it was respectful and well-reasoned. This was an experience that could not be found in a typical classroom as students are afraid to explore various issues that can lead to personal judgement and heated debate instead of civil dialogue. 

ODC: Why do you suppose that learning environment felt like a new experience?

Peter: Most of the students at Bucknell are eager to engage on touchy subjects because their beliefs are not set in stone. When they hear a new viewpoint, they want to understand what others believe and why. Unfortunately, they are afraid of the backlash that can come with the curiosity to pursue these questions. 

Some of the professors on campus wear their beliefs on their shoulder. When a student knows about a professor having strong opinions about certain issues, it is intimidating to question these beliefs in a classroom setting. This makes learning all sides of an argument impossible if professors teach multi-sided issues with an obvious bias to one point of view or another. Professor Gruver’s seminar was more of a discovery/exploration of each student’s ideas and opinions, rather than a lecture about a single belief, and I liked that. 

ODC: What did that look like in practice? 

Peter: When I signed up for the seminar, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the material or the other students. I heard about the ODC being politically oriented, so I expected the course to incorporate politics. To my surprise it was a to the point discussion on leadership theory. We discussed various leadership styles and explored historic leaders in order to understand what created their success. As for the students, we all had different backgrounds and knowledge of subjects. Every student in the course had a different major, and there were multiple ethnicities and political affiliations present. We often disagreed, but there was no picking of sides by Professor Gruver as he acted only as the moderator for discussion. There was no shunning or judging as we explored and discussed all viewpoints before moving on. 

ODC: What gave you the impression it would be anything other than advertised?

Peter: I had experienced some pushback from faculty and staff about taking the seminar and participating with ODC in general. A professor tried to pressure me against taking the seminar, implying that doing so would make me complicit in some sort of hateful act—that this group promoted white supremacy, racism, and wanted to destroy free speech on campus. 

It’s not just the seminar that received push back—there was a group of athletes at a practice off campus, and they were expecting to get driven back early for the Jordan Peterson event [sponsored by ODC at Bucknell in October 2021]. The vans coming back to campus early for students with classes left without them because the event wasn’t deemed “important enough.” You hear these stories and start to wonder if Bucknell wants you to “explore your curiosity” as advertised or to become immersed in selected views. 

When I did take the seminar, I tried my best to keep it to myself. Only a few close friends knew I was taking it. I didn’t want to deal with any kind of stigma that could affect how I was treated. 

ODC: What advice would you give incoming freshmen about open discourse and free expression on campus?

Peter: The atmosphere has changed since I was a freshman. Things are more hostile and heated now. I’d encourage them to get involved with groups like ODC who are working to reverse the division and pressure on campus. I’d tell them to check out the Leadership Seminar as well as the speakers brought on campus. There is always value in hearing different sides to every argument. Even if you don’t agree, explore why, and continue to learn more about yourself. 

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Leadership Seminar classes are held on Saturdays at the Open Discourse Coalition’s headquarters in downtown Lewisburg. To learn more and to apply, click here.