Columbia HxA

We're back after a two-week break!

In this episode, we gush about the wonderfulness of peace and quiet, teach you how to deal with bears, point out the hypocrisy of West-haters, and much more!

Our recommendations from this episode:

Respect and Loathing in American Democracy

Midnight Mass

Meditations

In this episode, Anthony and I speak with Harvard Undergraduate Shira Hoffer. Shira is the founder of The Hotline for Israel/Palestine, a resource for people to ask questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict anonymously and get well-researched, nuanced answers in return. She is also the founder of The Institute for Multipartisan Education, a 501(c)(3) organization that, per the website, offers “education consulting services to teachers, professors, and administrators looking to foster dialogue and curious and constructive disagreement, improve the quality of discourse, or initiate culture shifts toward curiosity inside and out of their classrooms.”

And somehow, she still finds time to focus on her studies! Shira is majoring in Social Studies and Religion and is currently working on a thesis that investigates how campus speech culture affects religious students.

Gone to Carolina in Our Minds: A Conversation with Dr. Matthew Metzgar

Viewpoint diversity AND a booming economy? North Carolina is absolutely crushing it right now.

In this episode, Anthony and Clay speak with Dr. Matthew Metzgar, a Clinical Professor of Economics at UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business. Matt received his PhD in Economics from the University of Tennessee, an MBA from Wheeling Jesuit University, and his Bachelors from West Virginia University. His research and teaching cover topics such as the economics of obesity, the relationship between employee ownership and the racial wealth gap, and the effect of market shortages on both the local and national economies.

Dr. Metzgar is also a warrior for free expression! He is the co-chair of the Heterodox Academy Campus Community at UNC Charlotte and the lead facilitator for the Constructive Dialogue Faculty Learning Community. As a result of his and his colleagues’ efforts, UNC Charlotte won Heterodox Academy’s coveted institutional excellence award for 2023. 

An expert in self-actualization explains why advice is often too generalized, what people get wrong about DEI, and why many of you shouldn't go to college. 

In this episode, Anthony and Clay speak with Dr. Orin Davis, the first person to earn a PhD in Positive Psychology. Dr. Davis is, just to name a few things, a self-actualization engineer, HR and DEI consultant, life coach, and a professor of creativity and innovation, entrepreneurship, business, and psychology. He is also the principal investigator at the Quality of Life Laboratory, which, according to the website, engineers self-actualization for people and makes workplaces great places to work. Last but not least, Dr. Davis is the co-author, along with Dr. Jef van den Hout, of Team Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Collaboration. So, yeah, we’re definitely going to have to do a part 2 for this one. 

Also see:

Orin's TEDx Talk

In this episode of The Columbia HxA Podcast, Anthony and Clay discuss Biden's recent withdrawal, why some people erroneously view HxA as a conservative organization, why there might be trouble on the horizon for American universities, and more!

As we mention at the end of the episode we want you! If you're interested in coming on the podcast please shoot us an email ([email protected]) or message Clay on Substack. We're open to discussing a wide range of topics.  

Links to the stuff we referenced:

The Soho Forum COVID debate

Sundial (PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!)

California's SAFETY Act

Gallup poll on confidence in higher ed

Progressive Policy Institute paper on administrative bloat at U.S. universities

In this episode, Anthony and Clay speak with Brent Morden, a man who wears many hats. Brent is a professional gigging musician, the Pep Band Director at Columbia University, the Director of FAIR in the Arts, and the Arts Caucus Chairman of the New York Young Republicans Club. Unique among his peers, Brent is a conservative Republican. In our conversation, we delve into Brent's political journey, FAIR's (The Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism) efforts against identity politics in the arts, the challenges of being in the ideological minority in a predominantly progressive industry, and much more!

For all things Brent, please check out his linktree. There, you'll find links to his social media, website, and the organizations he works with. 

Please consider donating to FAIR. It's a wonderful organization doing great work. The donation page is here.

In our sophomore episode, we bring you some updates on what's in the works for HxA Columbia, riff about the recent presidential debate, and bad-mouth consultants while praising phonics (what can I say? I'm hooked!). We've also added a new segment where we recommend books and articles to add to your reading list. 

Also, you might be wondering why episode 2 took so long. Well, that comes down to the fact that we started this podcast with no plan whatsoever.... but we've finally gotten our act together!

From now on, you can expect a new episode every Monday.

Also, you'll notice that we've added theme music. Let us know what you think! 

The articles we mention are....

• Biden Officials Pushed to Remove Age Limits for Trans Surgery, Documents Show
• DEI programs toppled amid a surge of conservative lawsuits
• A Wife’s Revenge from Beyond the Grave

...and the books...

• Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power by Pekka Hämäläinen 
• Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival by Dean King 
• The Case for Colonialism by Bruce Gilley 
• The Psychology of Revolution by Fathali M. Moghaddam 

CORRECTION:

At some point in the episode, Anthony used the word "endogenously" when he meant to use the word "exogenously" when referring to hormone therapy.

In this debut episode, co-hosts Clay Smith and Anthony Rispo provide an overview of what to expect from the series and cover some housekeeping items. They discuss the challenges and activities of Heterodox Academy (HxA) from the last semester, including difficulties launching the community, trouble booking rooms for events like the Coddling Screening, and struggles to gain official recognition. Potential solutions are explored, such as booking venues through the GS Student Council, collaborating with other student organizations and professors, and booking venues off-campus. They also share their experiences from the HxA Conference in Chicago and touch on recent developments at MIT and Harvard, considering if similar initiatives could be pursued at Columbia.