The transition in presidential leadership provides the University community with an opportunity to engage in collective conversation about our ideals and realities, and how to bring them closer. Join us for a series of Friday morning forums reflecting on the University’s mission, governance structure, and budget. These moderated discussions will generate ideas and suggestions to help inform President-designate Gabel’s understanding of the University and its possibilities.

The transition in presidential leadership provides the University community with an opportunity to engage in collective conversation about our ideals and realities, and how to bring them closer. Join us for a series of Friday morning forums reflecting on the University’s mission, governance structure, and budget. These moderated discussions will generate ideas and suggestions to help inform President-designate Gabel’s understanding of the University and its possibilities.

How have energy exploration and exploitation shaped human history and the planet?
What stories have we told ourselves about coal, oil, and solar power?
What means exist to help us reach a just energy future?

12:15 - 1:15 p.m. Reflections on Coal: A Human History

• Barbara Freese (environmental attorney, energy policy analyst, and former Assistant Attorney General for Minnesota)

1:30-3:15 p.m. New Directions in Energy Humanities

Since its inception in Latin America in the 1970s, Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) has continually been adjusted to remain relevant as a tool for revolutionary social change. Israeli activist and scholar Chen Alon has worked with various groups to create what he terms a “Polarized” TO model. In this talk, Alon discusses the Polarized TO model and its application to Holot Legislative Theatre (HLT), a group he co-founded composed of African Asylum seekers and Israeli allies.