FYC students to participate in religious discussion today

Resident mentors in the First Year College Village, which includes Tucker and Owen Residence Halls, organized a religious discussions forum to be held tonight in the Bragaw Activity Room (BAR) at Bragaw Residence Hall, according to Xander Dale, a sophomore in computer science and resident mentor in Tucker Residence Hall. The forum is targeted to FYC students who live in the FYC Village.

The forum will present a panel of five different religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The purpose of the forum is for students to see the religious differences between the branches of religions through generalized questions directed toward the students.

A moderator will keep the discussion on track, and some professors will be paired with students throughout the discussion.

The discussion, not a debate, is an event to broaden students’ knowledge regarding the differences between the religions.

“It’s not about arguing with each other,” Dale said.

A question and answer session will be held at the end of the program to give students the chance to make it a more personalized event.

Food will be provided and catered by Ruby Tuesday’s for people who attend — food is free to FYC students.

The BAR will hold the event and doors open at 6 p.m. The discussion is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Self Knowledge Symposium to host “Are You Robot?” interactive discussion

The Self Knowledge Symposium, an organization that combines philosophy and spirituality to push members to grow as individuals, is sponsoring an interactive discussion and debate Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Green Room in Talley Student Center. Ken Felder, former Microsoft cyber-linguistics lab leader, will lead the discussion and debate. According to Jimmy Suddarth, a senior in computer science and president of the Self Knowledge Symposium, the discussion and debate will focus on the decision, free will and the meaning of humanity. Throughout the meeting, Felder, by conversing with the audience, will challenge them to offer their own proof that human beings are not robots.

Suddarth said Felder has vast experience with artificial intelligence machines, making the work of administering easy with naive ideas of human uniqueness.

“He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever met,” Suddarth said. “He’s read everything dealing with philosophy and spirituality and is really an inspirational speaker.”

According to Suddarth, Felder plans on ending the night “with a surprise twist.”

The event will be held in the Green Room in Talley Student Center Thursday at 7:30. Cost for students is $5 and $7 for nonstudents.

To reserve a seat, contact 919-452-6039 or [email protected].

–Colleen Forcina