Tuesday, April 14, 2026
2:00 – 3:30 pm ET

Recommit to Community-Focused Practice

College campuses have long been spaces for intellectual exploration, spirited debate, and personal growth. Yet in today’s climate, conversations around political identity can quickly become polarizing, complex, and emotionally charged. Students are not leaving their identities at the door when they arrive on campus. Political identity shows up in classrooms, student organization meetings, residence halls, social media, protests and everyday conversations.

The challenge arises when political identity becomes highly visible, emotionally charged, or connected to policies, conduct concerns, or community impact. In those moments, institutions can struggle with how to respond in ways that are both supportive and consistent.

Join us on April 14, 2026, when our expert presenter will explore how institutions can maintain trust, clarity, and community in environments where disagreement, division, and uncertainty are present.

The focus is not on ideology itself, but on how we respond to one another when ideological differences surface. Rather the spotlight will be on how to interpret and apply free expression policies, respond consistently across departments or situations, handle external pressures, and build student confidence in institutional integrity.

At its core, this is about care. Students deserve environments where they can explore ideas while also understanding the boundaries that protect the broader community. Staff deserve clarity so they can respond thoughtfully rather than fearfully. Without shared frameworks and clear communication, institutions risk reacting in the moment instead of responding with intention.

Topics Covered

Gain crucial, actionable takeaways that will help you move from reaction to preparation by: 

• Applying a clear evaluation framework when political expression concerns arise, grounded in student development theory and institutional policy.
• Distinguishing between protected expression and policy violations while maintaining appropriate levels of challenge and support.
• Communicating institutional decisions using policy based language rather than personal opinion, reinforcing clarity and consistency.
• Clarifying role boundaries across student affairs, faculty, and administration to reduce confusion and prevent overreach.
• Proactively planning for politically sensitive events or student programming with an understanding of identity development, social identity dynamics, and campus climate considerations.
• Reducing fear-driven responses by grounding decisions in documented policy, consistent practice, and a developmental lens that recognizes students are still forming beliefs, values, and self-authorship.
• Remaining attuned to student needs, maintaining open lines of communication with leadership, grounding decisions in established policy, and approaching difficult situations with clarity rather than urgency.
  

Unlike sessions that focus primarily on free speech debates or ideological discourse, this presentation centers institutional clarity, trust building, and sustainable practice. It moves intentionally from theory to practice, drawing on established student development frameworks such as challenge and support, identity development, and self-authorship to inform real world decision making.

Presenter

Ali Martin Scoufield is currently serving as the Interim Coordinator, Fraternity & Sorority Life at Baldwin Wallace University & Chief of Staff, Docs with Disabilities Initiative. She is a higher education professional with more than twenty-one years of experience advancing student engagement, success, and leadership development.
Click here for full bio.