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.