Students for Open Discussion (SOD) is a discussion-based club open to all students. Club officials said SOD is always open to new ideas, with a goal to gain new perspectives, hear from other real people, gain empathy and understand new points of view.

“We always make it very clear to our members that this group is for understanding one another and each other’s perspectives,” said Elyse Burns, vice president of SOD and a senior in apparel, merchandising and design.

Burns said SOD is not a debate club, nor is it a club to argue.

“Our central goal is not to change people’s minds, necessarily, [but] to tell them more stuff,” Justin Nock, president of SOD and a senior in mechanical engineering, said. “There are many times in discussions where people will generally not change their minds, but they will still learn things, gain new perspectives and be able to see something differently than they had before.”

Club members emphasized the importance for students to feel empowered to express their views without fear of censorship or retribution, while rejecting hate speech within the Iowa State community. In SOD, Nock said students can talk about anything as long as it is not hateful.

“People might disagree with you, but generally, we let any sort of discussion happen as long as it is within the First Amendment and ISU’s principles of community,” Nock said. “We do not allow hate speech, but if you have a controversial opinion that’s not hateful, we are happy to hear it and cover that.”

Burns also added that SOD encourages members to treat each other with respect and dignity, no matter where they are from, their religion, ethnicity and nationality.

“No matter our differences, everyone deserves respect from the other members, and we also encourage tolerance of all ideas, which helps our members to remember that not everyone is going to have the same opinion as you, and that is O.K.,” Burns said. “We are really here to listen, ask questions and seek to understand, not seek to debate or argue.”

Nock said he is thrilled to see the club change from a predominantly male group to a diverse space of individuals from different genders, races, religions and ethnicities.

“Now we have a good mix of guys and girls, different religions, and different national origins,” Nock said, “It has been a great benefit to us to have all these different people from all over the world and all these different backgrounds, and it has been so great to have all these different perspectives.”

Burns said everyone is welcome at SOD, and prospective members are encouraged to see what the club is about.

“Additionally, it is a great resource to meet new people who may or may not be like-minded to meet different people,” Burns said. “It is also a great way to improve your self-development. We all grow from our discussions, which I think is very important.”

Nock said discussion helped him a lot to articulate his ideas better, as well as to listen to other people’s ideas and understand them as a great empathy-building activity.

“It is so refreshing to get together with a group of people that you might disagree with on some stuff, but you have your discussion and bands,” Nock said. “Everyone is very respectful, their understanding of the rules, and ultimately, I think that we are all more similar to each other than we are different, so that is an awesome part of being in this club.”

Students for Open Discussion meets once a week from 5 to 6 p.m on Fridays in Carver 0232. Those interested in joining can contact Justin Nock at [email protected] with any questions.