Bullying thrust into spotlight at Lakehead public lecture series
Lakehead University is inviting the public to come out to its new President’s Public Lecture Series.
Part of the post-secondary institution’s 60th anniversary celebrations, the free series was launched as a way for community members to “reconnect with Lakehead in person — to visit campus, engage with faculty and ideas, and celebrate the spirit of discovery that defines our university.”
In October, the university hosted Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux to give a presentation titled “Repatriation to Reconciliation: The Genesis of a Canadian Identity at it’s Orillia campus.
On Thursday, Lakehead professor Dr. Gerald Walton will hold the series’ second lecture in The Agora at the Thunder Bay campus.
A sociologist who has taught at Lakehead University since 2008, Dr. Walton will be discussing the topic of bullying and its ties to social and political forces.
“I look at this topic of bullying as something I’ve been trying understand since I was a kid because I was a target of bullying for many years,” says Dr. Walton, noting the issue has only become more pervasive over the years.
“Social media has made it all the easier and more vicious I would say for people to bully each other because a lot of it can be anonymous and it is easier to say something through a keyboard than to say something face to face.”
The lecture series will begin at 5:30 p.m. and run for approximately two hours, including a short Q&A session where people can interact with Dr. Walton.
Although the event is being held at Lakehead University, Dr. Walton says members of the community should not be intimidated to attend.
“That is why this lecture series is so important,” adds Dr. Walton. “It is geared to a broader audience than strictly academics on campuses and that sort of thing.”
That accessibility extends beyond opening the doors to members of the public as those interested in participating can also watch via a live-stream.
For Dr. Walton, taking part in one of the six-part series isn’t just an opportunity to celebrate learning, discovery, and community, it is a great way to commemorate the university’s six-decades in Thunder Bay.
“It remains a mystery to me how my name got chosen amongst how many other viable scholars and topics Lakehead covers,” says Dr. Walton. “So that’s additionally why it is quite an honour and privilege.”
