LEXINGTON, Va., June 3, 2025—VMI’s College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) program, co-sponsored by the Center for Leadership and Ethics (CLE) and the Building BRIDGES service club, had a full and varied spring semester, covering topics ranging from societal issues to those internal to VMI. The debates are grounded in the light parliamentary format developed by Braver Angels, a national organization whose mission is to bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen the democratic republic. VMI’s programming was recognized in the National CD&D Alliance’s annual report and also in their video.

Col. Sara Whipple, professor in the Department of Psychology and one of VMI’s Civil Discourse and Debate faculty fellows and Building BRIDGES advisor, said, “Braver Angels debates are not about scoring points against an opponent with statistics or soaring rhetoric. Instead, we offer the opportunity to speak freely and without fear to say what we truly believe on topics that can be divisive, in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.”

The CD&D program kicked off the spring semester with an intercollegiate debate Feb. 4 in Marshall Hall that asked, “Should monuments perceived as symbols of oppression be removed from public spaces?” Student peers and faculty from Washington and Lee University, Southern Virginia University (SVU), and Mountain Gateway Community College, along with some community members and alumni, approached the topic from various viewpoints. The debate moderator, CD&D faculty fellow, Lt. Col. Kim Connolly, assistant director of programs and conferences at the CLE, told the large group of participants in her opening remarks to expect nuance, ambiguity and doubts to be expressed. That turned out to be the case, with speakers mentioning contextualizing monuments and letting the local community decide whether to remove a monument. “While some may have expected fireworks, they were disappointed,” Connolly observed. “There were thoughtful, complex, and personal beliefs shared, and I hope that all walked away with a greater appreciation for differing viewpoints without demonizing those with whom we disagree.”

The intercollegiate partnerships forged by VMI in the previous year continued with another well-attended debate at SVU March 18. That debate explored the topic, “Is cancel culture erasing free speech in America?” Six cadets traveled to the campus in Buena Vista to participate. Once again, speakers came at the discussion from a surprising variety of viewpoints, ranging from cultural touchpoints such as movies and music to protest movements.

March 24, a VMI-centric topic was tackled: the athlete/non-athlete divide at VMI. This was addressed using a new format, the A Braver Campus Dialogue (ABCD) workshop. Sadie Webb, associate director of the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, came to post to moderate and introduce this solutions-based format. “The ABCD workshop encourages participants to ask questions, raise challenges, and engage each other to understand the other’s perspectives in an effort to offer solutions,” said Col. Valentina Dimitrova-Grajzl, professor in the Department of Economics and Business, CD&D faculty fellow and Building BRIDGES advisor. Jamaal Walton ’07, director of intercollegiate athletics at VMI, enthusiastically endorsed the debate, and there was a large turnout of coaches and athletes to listen and share, along with cadets not involved in NCAA sports. There were several observations about rats and fall sports, focusing on the challenges of fully integrating them into their new VMI experience when pulled away with practices, workouts, and travel to games. Many ideas were offered, not just for athletes and coaches, but for all cadets, such as modernizing the Rat Bible with consideration of the vocabulary used and understood by current cadets.

In addition to the large debates and workshops, the CD&D program also offered small-format “food for thought” gatherings during lunch for informal, inclusive discussions. In January, the pizza and dialogue get-together focused on misinformation, free speech, and TikTok. In February, addiction in society was discussed. The rat-dyke relationship was the topic of the March gathering.

Cadet fellows for the 2024-25 academic year were Earl Filgo ’25, Bella Bruzonic ’25, Katy Layman ’26, and Zach Denton ’27. The cadet fellows help choose debate topics, recruit opening speakers, and promote the debates to the Corps.

Filgo said being a part of Braver Angels has taught him the important skill of active listening. “In the noise of your own thoughts, listening, and I mean listening with a quiet mind, has tremendous benefits to your intelligence and growth as an individual. Being able to actively listen to people’s opinions, thoughts, and rationale promotes a sense of maturity in me. Many I have invited personally have expressed some sense of surprise at the benefit of enjoying an environment where we all let our guard down and pour our thoughts and minds into an issue many may feel passionately about. My most memorable moment was when my own rat felt comfortable sharing heartfelt and emotional experiences, for which our listeners showed empathy. And empathy is a prized gift of our Braver Angels discourses.”

VMI’s CD&D program was granted five years of support from the Jackson Hope Fund in April to continue the programming, conduct research, support cadet and faculty fellows in attending conferences, and develop an academic course around civil discourse.

Lt. Col. Kim Connolly
Center for Leadership and Ethics
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTTITUTE