Carolinian

Issue date: 11/7/06 Section: Life

Media Credit: Ben Holmes Dr. Cathy Hamilton leads a discussion during last week's Honors Coffee.

A small group of students and faculty gathers in a tranquil room in the Eliot University Center, some sipping their tepid coffee while others contemplate or nod in approval at what one of their fellow colleagues has just stated. These dozen participants are congregating for the Honors Coffee, a one hour event sponsored by the Lloyd International Honors College (LIHC).

The purpose of the Honors Coffee, according to LIHC's website, is to "provide a forum for students and faculty to discuss important topics and issues [and] to promote civic intellectual discussion." Dr. Pamela McRae, the Assistant Director of the Honors College, was one of the founders of the Honors Coffee 10 years ago. She explained that the meeting allows students and faculty to chat about issues of social, academic, or personal interests in a tolerant, comfortable atmosphere. While there is a tone of learning, McRae promptly said that this was not a classroom. "With the constraints of the classroom, such as earning grades or finishing projects, students often can't unwind and enjoy a topic," she said.

McRae hopes that when students come with an open mind or curiosity, they will depart that week with "their brains on fire."

The previous week, Dr. Cathy Hamilton led a group discussion entitled "Defining Civic Engagement." Prior to the opening of the conversation, Hamilton, who is the Director of the Office of Leadership and Service-Learning, had everyone in the circle announce their names and their fields of study or work. "I hope to begin to remember everyone by the end of this meeting," she declared with a smile. Those gathered were provided a survey of 15 concepts of civic engagement, which were then ranked in order of significance to each individual. The topic concluded with what roles people believed educational institutions exercise in the democratic process.

Past subjects have included the death of Princess Diana, and religious intolerance and social repercussions in the aftermath of September 11.

According to McRae, any professor can approach the Honors Coffee with a wide array of themes or subject matters for the upcoming week. "We do not turn ideas away," she said. Scholars and experts from other universities in nearby regions or even foreign nations are also invited to address the event.

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