Haytham Al-Rabeah/Contributing Writer
As the semester comes to an end, “The Changing Values of Relationships and Marriage” was the last topic discussed during Biscayne Bay Campus’ final Tuesday Times Roundtable meeting for fall 2011.
The session began with a brainstorming exercise, meant to bring ideas and discussion points to the table. Topics ranged from modern day gender roles in relationships to hot topics such as online dating, to the relevant economics of modern-day two-income homes.
Every other Tuesday at BBC, the University’s Global Learning for Global Citizenship office hosts a roundtable discussion, where moderators meet with students, staff and anyone else wishing to join, to discuss a topic in a New York Times article.
The hour-long meeting began at 12:30 p.m. in Wolfe University Center 159 with an introduction by moderator Diann Newman, assistant dean for Student Services for Hospitality Management, and by coordinating Graduate Assistant Eric M. Feldman.
Aside from holding several positions in Hospitality, Newman is also a qualified mental health consultant. As a mental health consultant, Newman said that she had a personal interest in how relationships and marriages have and continue to change.
Although the women outnumbered the men in the room, everyone enjoyed the discussion. This is, in the end, what Feldman hopes will come out of these events.
“[In these events] I expect for students to be able to engage in discussions and meet faculty from majors other than their own, and to be able to build community outside of the classroom in an intellectual setting,” Feldman said. ”Many students come either for free food or extra credit but become loyal repeat attendees.”
David Ullman, Junior and Geography major, enjoyed the event and said it was ‘very relevant and fun.’
According to Feldman, the third week of the spring semester will begin a new slate of topics and moderators, of which at least 80 percent of will be new to the table.
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