On Monday, Feb. 23 Colorado College hosted it’s first Second Monday event. This event allowed students to come together in a formal setting and reflect on the First Monday speaker to get students thinking about new ideas on campus. “Three years ago, the Blue Key Honor Society helped partner with the Academic Events Committee to create the Colorado College First Mondays Event Series that unites minds for one hour around one topic,” said senior Michael Stevens.
While this event is greatly valued, it is difficult to discuss topics as serious as these in only one hour.
“Blue Key Honor Society is looking to create a new series of conversation surrounding the First Monday Presentations, deemed Second Monday’s Round Table,” Stevens said.
For two and a half hours, the entire student body is welcome to come to dinner and reflect on the topic that had been spoken about the week before.
“The Second Mondays Round Table seeks to bring student leaders from around campus together for continued conversation surrounding the First Monday Presentation,” Stevens said.
Heather Horton, Director of the Wellness Resource Center, hosted the previous First Mondays speaker, author Jennifer Michael Hecht. Hecht addressed the topic of mental illness in communities, focusing specifically on how suicidal community members can be helped.
When continuing the conversation a week later, it was clear that many members of the community had developed insight on this topic.
Both students and faculty were present at the event, including Heather Horton and representatives from the Chaplains office.
The Second Mondays event allows students and faculty to reflect, as well as to connect with people who may not have ever engaged in this kind of conversation before.
“It is a thing we need to do here,” Stevens said. “Just be able to talk.”
Students who attended the event were encouraged to move around the room—and even change tables in between dinner and dessert.
“The series seeks to inspire new connections while strengthening old connections on and around campus,” Stevens said. “Connections are vital to the vibrant community here at CC and the more connections student leaders can make, the healthier and stronger our community becomes.”
During dinner, each table was given a piece of paper with a topic on it. Topics included “Future” and “Transitions.” These topics allowed students to branch out from the First Monday ideas, while still keeping the central topic in mind. Tables were allowed to choose how to connect the two ideas.
This is the first time Second Mondays Round Table has been hosted, but it will likely continue into next block, “and hopefully into next year,” Stevens said.
Students should feel free to bring in new speakers related to a topic worth talking about.
“First Mondays happen because people propose them. Anything you guys want to talk about on campus is possible,” Stevens said.