ABQ Fellows
12 fellows selected as national Ask Big Questions program arrives at UD
1:41 p.m., Jan. 7, 2016--Ask Big Questions (ABQ) is a national program that has begun its inaugural steps at the University of Delaware this year.
The effort to bring this program to UD was led by Nicole Wasilus, assistant director at UD Hillel, and Joe Pritchett, area coordinator in the Office of Residence Life and Housing.
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Wasilus and Pritchett selected 12 talented students for the 2015-16 year to serve as Ask Big Questions Fellows. The ABQ Fellows have been trained using the Ask Big Questions framework to facilitate small group conversations around the “big question” of the month.
So what exactly is a “big question”? Big questions must meet two essential criteria: big questions matter to everyone and everyone must be able to answer them.
Students participating in these conversations don’t need to be experts on a certain topic in order to engage in these discussions. This distinguishes a big question from a hard question, like “How should we solve the global financial crisis?”
This program was brought to campus with support from Residence Life and Housing, UD Hillel, Catholic Campus Ministry, the Office of Service Learning, Wesley Foundation, Student Life and the Presbyterian Campus Ministry.
Wasilus said, “The diversity of our partners truly mirrors the diversity of our cohort of 12 fellows, who come from many different backgrounds and involvements on campus.”
ABQ Fellows partook in a day-long training session that prepared them to facilitate their own Ask Big Questions discussions. The cohort also selected the questions that will be brought to UD this winter and spring.
These questions include:
- January and February: Where do you feel at home?
- March: When do you say no?
- April: For whom are we responsible?
- May: What will your legacy be?
ABQ Fellow Andrea Miller discussed how the training program opened her eyes to the potential that this program has. “I was able to see how thought-provoking asking big questions could be, and how these types of conversations can be a gateway for people of differing backgrounds and worldviews to connect and grow closer together,” said Miller.
This openness is due in part to the Ask Big Questions Code of Mutual Responsibility and the safe space the facilitators create. This includes not repeating conversations outside of the discussion group, recognizing the feelings and emotions that accompany humans and the right to express them and, finally, listening and speaking to be understood, not to win the argument or persuade others.
This project means a great deal to Wasilus and Pritchett, who both recognized a need for more productive civil discourse on campus. “I believe that the space we are providing for meaningful honest conversations will allow students to reflect on their own values and what they are experiencing and learning both in and out of the classroom,” Wasilus said. “We also believe that this program will help build understanding and trust between diverse students who may not have otherwise encountered each other during their four years here.”
It is clear that the Ask Big Questions program has great potential and that the ABQ team is eager to start, Wasilus said. Senior Matthew Spicer, an ABQ Fellow said, “Not only did I gain powerful insights about myself and the other fellows through the discussion, but I also saw first hand how effective the ABQ framework is at facilitating amazing conversation around life’s most important questions.”
ABQ Fellow Rebecca Arias added, “After the training day and getting to know the other fellows, I’m excited to begin to bring these important discussions to campus.”
For more information about the national Ask Big Questions program, visit the website.
To learn more about ABQ at UD, visit this website.
Those who are interested in requesting an Ask Big Questions conversation for a group or community of which they are a part can email Nicole Wasilus at nwasilus@udel.edu.
Photo by Nicole Wasilus