According to a report released by the Missouri Attorney General, black drivers were more likely than people of any other race to be stopped by Columbia Police. A coalition of groups recently convened the first in a series of public meetings designed to address the issue. But what steps could law enforcement agencies take to reduce the effects of bias? And how well might they work?

Panelists:
Noor Azizan-Gardner, interim chief diversity officer, University of Missouri
Ken Burton, chief, Columbia Police
Mary Ratliff, president of the Missouri and Columbia unit of the NAACP
Don Love, chairman, Missouri Association of Social Welfare Human Rights Task Force (joining the program by phone)

Maintaining a culturally diverse student and faculty population is a large concern for many colleges across the nation. The University of Missouri’s Diversity Office recently unveiled a campaign to encourage people to report charges of bias. But how successful are current efforts to promote diversity, here and across the nation?

Panelists:
Noor Azizan-Gardner, interim chief diversity officer for MU
Noel English, director of the MU Equity Office
Eric Woods, MU Student Body President
Karen Aroesti, regional director, Missouri/Southern Illinois office of the Anti-Defamation League (joining the program by phone)

It's time to rework the boundaries that outline the City Council districts in Columbia, thanks to uneven population growth across Columbia over the past 10 years. Panelists -- along with several members of the audience -- discuss the options that have been proposed and the implications of the different scenarios.

Panelists:
Kip Kendrick, president of Benton-Stephens Neighborhood Association
Wiley Miller, Ward Reappointment Committee member (also former psychologist, MU Counseling Center)
Bob Pugh, chair of the Columbia ward reapportionment committee (also former Columbia mayor and current CEO of MBS Textbook Exchange)
Terry Smith, member of the Columbia ward reapportionment committee (also executive vice president and dean of academic affairs at Columbia College)

A persistent difference in test scores among students from various racial or socio-economic groups has become a central point in discussion about education nationwide. Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Chris Belcher says he wants the Columbia school district to be one of the first in the country to solve this problem of an "achievement gap," and he's reaching out to the community to improve student performance from outside the school walls. In this conversation, we look at what exactly needs fixing, and how Belcher and others believe the community can help.

Panelists:
Chris Belcher, superintendent, Columbia Public Schools
Steve Calloway, president, Minority Men’s Network
Sarah Horn, reporter, Columbia Missourian (joining the program by phone)

A string of recent suicides has prompted nationwide concern over bullying of gay teens. In this discussion, we explore what the climate is like for gay teenagers growing up here in mid-Missouri.

Panelists:
Christy Hutton, therapist who works with LGBT college students in Columbia
Megan Lee, board member for Prism, a group that supports LGBTQ youth in mid-Missouri
Yuki White, Moberly Area Community College student who grew up in Columbia and experienced bullying in middle and high school
Dan Savage, Seattle-based syndicated columnist and creator of the "It Gets Better" video project (joining the program by phone)
Richard Blount, founder of Open Door Ministries (joining the program by phone, not pictured)

Related links:
The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention advocacy group and suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth
Coverage of Columbia’s candlelight vigil for the suicides on October 20 (from the Columbia Missourian)
Coverage of Spirit Day, organized by GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) -- Students at both Hickman High and Rock Bridge formally participated. (from the Columbia Missourian)
Young and Gay in Real America (four-part series by The Washington Post, published in 2004)

In the 90 years since American women gained the right to vote, the movement toward gender equality has made great strides in some areas and still has a way to go. For example, as of 2009, women made 80.2 cents for every dollar men earned (compared with 62.3 cents for every dollar in 1979). On the pop culture front, women comprised only 7 percent of all directors, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films.
With the Citizen Jane Film Festival opening in Columbia later this week, we talk about the state of feminism in mid-Missouri and across America, and look at how elements of pop culture may be helping or hurting the women's movement.

Panelists:
Paula Elias, director, Citizen Jane Film Festival
Mary Jo Neitz, professor, MU Department of Women & Gender Studies

Nationwide -- and in Columbia -- there are significant disparities in test scores among students from various racial and socio-economic groups. But with more children growing up in poverty and with statewide cuts in funding for programslike Parents as Teachers, addressing this "achievement gap" is becoming more difficult. What does the achievement gap mean for us as a community? Why is it such a difficult thing to tackle? And what actually works in getting all students closer to the same level of academic proficiency?

Panelists:
Wanda Brown, assistant superintendent for secondary education, Columbia Public Schools
Sally Beth Lyon, chief academic officer, Columbia Public Schools

Joining the program by phone:
Chris Guinther, president, Missouri National Education Association
Cathy Koelher, president, Little Rock Classroom Teachers Association