Life is Better with Ethics

Dr. Leah M. Omilion-Hodges, Professor and Graduate Program Director in the School of Communication, and Dr. Anna Popkova, Associate Professor at Western Michigan University School of Communication and an allied faculty member at WMU Global and International Studies program, joined host Jayla Bryan, the Ethics Center's intern, to talk about what it means to speak with integrity in the field of public relations and how ethical dialogue shapes the way we communicate, lead, and build trust in a rapidly changing world. Both Dr. Omilion-Hodges and Dr. Popkova bring years of experience as communication scholars who study how messages shape relationships, organizations, and culture. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.

David Paul, Chair of the Department of Philosophy, and Jennifer Townsend, Executive Assistant for the Lee Honors College, joined host Sandra Borden, Director of the Ethics Center, to talk about why we should try to talk across difference about difficult issues and how can we do so with civility and respect. Paul and Townsend have been doing work in this space as two of the co-chairs for Western Michigan University’s chapter of the Heterodox Academy, also known as HxA. Along with fellow co-chair Jeff Breneman, they were awarded the 2025 HxA Community Excellence Open Inquiry Award. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.

Dr. Karen Korematsu, the executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, joined host Kathy Purnell, an Ethics Center affiliate and the director of the Human/Civil Rights Law Center, on October 10, 2025. They talked about the special exhibit, “Am I An American or Am I Not?” that opened October 12 at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and continues through January 4, 2026. The exhibition’s title comes from Fred Korematsu, who famously challenged the mass imprisonment of more than 125,000 Japanese Americans during WWII. Edited by Jayla Bryan.

Host Jayla Bryan, the Ethics Center's intern, talks to the team behind the Center's National Science Foundation grant (Award #2316197): Dr. Sandra Borden, the Ethics Center’s director and a professor in the School of Communication; Dr. David Hartmann, chair and professor in the Department of Sociology; and Dr. Susan Stapleton, emeritus professor in the Department of Chemistry. The grant funded a conference in February 2024 to gather a diverse group from the STEM and responsible conduct in research communities to raise awareness about how privilege manifests in research and how its negative impacts can be addressed.

Ryan Scrivens, assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, joined host Sandra Borden, the Ethics Center’s director, on April 3, 2025. They talked about his research on terrorism and extremism, as well as the ethical issues involved in working with former extremists to prevent and counter violent extremism. Dr. Scrivens was the 2025 Winnie Veenstra Peace lecturer. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.

The Ethics Center’s founding director, Michael Pritchard, and longtime Center Advisory Board member Ronald Kramer joined host Sandra Borden, the Ethics Center’s current director, on March 13, 2025, to talk about the Ethics Center’s mission and history on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.

Award-winning photographer Jeri Love and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members Kris Locke and Jim Bennink joined host Sandra Borden, the Ethics Center’s director, on March 10, 2025, to talk about an exhibit created by participants in an OLLI Photovoice workshop as part of the A Life Well Lived – Kalamazoo event series. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.

Angie Moe, a professor of sociology at Western Michigan University, joined host Olivia Munoz, the WMU Ethics Center's intern, on December 2, 2024. They talked about the role of therapy dogs, how to ensure access to their services and how to treat the dogs ethically. Dr. Moe, who specializes in interpersonal victimization and trauma-informed survivorship, works with the Therapy Dog Clinic at Western Michigan University. Produced and edited by Olivia Munoz.

Sharon Carlson, president of the Ladies Library Association in Kalamazoo, joined host Ashley Atkins, Ethics Center affiliate and associate professor in the Western Michigan University Department of Philosophy, on November 20, 2024. They talked about the association’s abolitionist history. The Ladies Library Association was only the third women’s club in the United States and the first public library in Kalamazoo.

Dr. Mark Hoipkemier, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, joined host Sandra Borden, director of the WMU Ethics Center, on June 14, 2024. He delivered the keynote address for a workshop co-sponsored by the Center and the Department of Public Communication at the University of Navarra titled Toward Flourishing: A Theoretical Reset for Journalism Ethics on June 6-7, 2024. Participants gathered to consider how journalism’s political function could be oriented toward the common good, a topic about which Dr. Hoipkemier has written extensively.