Announcing the Working Group on Civil Discourse 

From: Trevor Young, Vice-President and Provost 
Randy Boyagoda, Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse 
Date: March 22, 2024 
Re: Announcing the Working Group on Civil Discourse 

In February, we circulated a Call for Nominations for faculty members and students to serve on the Working Group on Civil Discourse. We were gratified by the number of nominations and assured that the University of Toronto community is very much invested in this project. In recognition of this high level of interest and of our goal of broad representation, we increased the planned number of members on the committee from five faculty members and five students to eight faculty members and seven students.  

The Working Group will contribute advice, suggestions, and insights towards strengthening a culture of civil discourse on campus, including the cultivation of dialogue across different points of view and the discussion of challenging subjects. The group will consider activities both in and beyond the classroom, and also within and across programs, departments, divisions, and the institution itself. Group members will also participate in consultations about civil discourse in a variety of settings and formats, involving diverse constituencies, including administrative staff.   

We are pleased to announce the membership of the group as follows: 

Chair 
Randy Boyagoda, Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse; Vice-Dean, Undergraduate, Faculty of Arts & Science 

Faculty Members 
Eyal Gruntman, Department of Biological Sciences, UTSC  
James John, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts & Science 
Melanie Newton, Department of History, Faculty of Arts & Science 
Nasim Niknafs, Faculty of Music 
Gurpreet Rattan, Department of Philosophy, UTM 
Alison Thompson, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy 
Brian Silverman, Rotman School of Management 
Robert Wright, Daniels Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Design 

Graduate Students 
Haidy Giratallah, Temerty Faculty of Medicine 
Noah Khan, OISE 
Emmanuel Taiwo, UTSC 

Undergraduate Students 
Valentina Bravo, UTM 
Hugh Considine, Faculty of Arts & Science 
Lydia Dillenbeck, Faculty of Arts & Science 
Sam Guevara, Faculty of Arts & Science 
 

The group will be supported in its work by Alexis Archbold, Executive Director, Strategy, Programs & Operations in the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students, and Andrea Kwan, Senior Writer and Special Projects Officer in the Office of the Vice-President and Provost.