UCA participated in a virtual Conway Conversations on Thursday, June 9, regarding the ongoing crisis in Ukraine that featured four panelists and a moderator. 

Conway Conversations states that its mission is “to provide a space for members of the UCA campus and Conway communities to come together and engage in conversation about social issues affecting diverse groups of community members.” 

The moderator, Dr. Malcolm Elliott Glover who is a crisis manager and a journalist, delivered crafted questions to the panelists for the hour-long discussion. 

Glover opened the event by saying, “Since February, millions of Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes and according to some estimates, between 7 and 14,000 civilians have been killed during this tragic conflict.”

The four panelists involved in the conversation were as follows:

• Dr. Shaun Casey, T. J. Dermot Dunphy Senior Fellow of Religion.

• Alan Elrod, Pulaski Institution CEO and president.

• Dr. Mark Elrod, UCA Department of Political Science.

• Dr. Kateryna Pitchford, Central Baptist College professor and Ukraine native.

All of the panelists served as beneficial speakers for different worldly topics at the event.

The main goals of the topics discussed in the Conway Conversations: Crisis in Ukraine were demystifying Russian nationalism; hearing voices and lived experiences of Ukraine; learning background on NATO expansion in Russia and discussing the importance of religion and the war in Ukraine.

Pitchford said, “What gives me hope is the resistance of Ukrainian people and support of the international communities through coverage of the events, help with weapons, help with food, help with refugees. So overall global awareness of what’s happening and resistance of Ukrainian people.”

Pitchford shared first-hand experiences that she has encountered during this difficult time as a pivotal part of the event. 

Mark Elrod was able to go into extensive detail regarding the formation of NATO and what those services look like now to the countries that are involved and to those that are not involved. 

Casey explained that “to understand [Russian] religious dynamics, it’s almost like you need a scorecard.” 

One of Casey’s main points was the origin and making of Orthodox Christianity within both Russia and Ukraine, which could be a topic of conflict for some people. 

Casey said, “In the late 10th century, Vladimir the Great, who was sort of the first person to create what we might think of as Russia as sort of a nascent nation, was baptized into orthodoxy in the Dnipro River in Ukraine at Kyiv. So this founding moment of Russia, as an idea and Russia as an Orthodox Christian country, actually took place in what is now Ukraine.”

As the discussion went on to dive into deeper topics regarding the ongoing war, the final statements given revolved around what action any person can take right now. 

“It’s shocking to me, the number of members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate who did not support the recent bill that the administration put forward to provide aid to Ukraine. I think that’s incomprehensible. I think it’s inexcusable,” Casey said. “Look up your congressperson and your senator and find out what they did, and let them know whether you agree or disagree.”