A task force designed to support students engaged in community organizing and activism aims to be a resource for students to create successful and safe demonstrations, protests, and rallies.
“The goal is to work with students leading up to actions, to be on the scene during actions as sources of support and then also hopefully to make sure that we do some debriefs post-action,” said Josh Shulruff, campus dialogue program manager.
The Demonstration and Activity Resource Team (DART) task force, first introduced in November’s Academic Senate meeting, is being rolled out with a resource called Perspectives. Put together by the Constructive Dialogue Institute, Perspectives consists of six online lessons, each about an hour long. Students will have the opportunity to join three peer-to-peer conversations within the lessons.
“It is meant to be a resource to build some skills for having exactly those kinds of conversations across differences,” Shulruff said. “But really, with the framing being having these conversations to build mutual understanding, not to try and change one another’s minds or win an argument.”
Jason Ramirez, associate vice president of Student Affairs and dean of students, said DART was created to educate and support community efforts in speech and assembly.
“Our campus needed to ensure the community understands their rights and where boundaries and limitations exist,” he said. “After reviewing many other campus processes, we believed utilizing this structure best supported our community. The role is intentionally designed not to be someone from an accountability/conduct or law enforcement background. This allows the role to offer support to activists and organizers.”
DART’s role is primarily educational, guiding students in navigating campus policies and processes while engaging in activism. Rather than functioning as an enforcement body, DART acts as a support system for both event organizers and those who may be impacted by protests.
The development of DART was informed by research into best practices from other institutions, especially those in the former Pac-12. Ramirez remarked that years of planning and analysis were dedicated to ensuring that DART’s approach aligns with the University of Utah’s goals and values.
To enhance its effectiveness, DART collaborates with diverse stakeholders on campus, including security teams, faculty members and student organizations. Ramirez said DART formed an interdisciplinary advisory council to help oversee the task force’s initiatives.
“We have many experts from various disciplines on campus that can help our community engage and be heard,” he said. “DART is available to both those participating in the events and those who work with the events. DART collaborates closely with Student Leadership and Involvement by reaching out directly to registered student organization leaders when we become aware of upcoming events.”
Future Initiatives
Looking ahead, DART is working to expand its educational offerings, focusing on skill-building in dialogue, debate and conflict resolution. Ramirez emphasized that these initiatives are part of an effort to create a campus environment where diverse viewpoints can be expressed and understood.
“This past year, Josh Shulruff has been responsible for rolling out the Perspectives program from the Constructive Dialogue Institute,” Ramirez said. “We will continue to offer opportunities to build and practice dialogue and bridge-building skills. Additionally, helping our community members understand conflict and resolving conflict are also a key part of what these trainings can accomplish.”
DART is also focused on strengthening relationships with campus organizations to improve awareness and understanding of its role.
“We have much work to do to build understanding, but we are very eager to do so as we truly believe that our viewpoint diversity, and the willingness to engage in it, are the foundations of higher education,” Ramirez said.
