Resolving Conflict; Easier Said Than Done?

On Monday, January 21, Emory & Henry College

hosted events for students to participate in race, diversity,
and civil rights activities in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
Day.
Mark Finney, who has doctorate in Mass
Communications, held a breakout session on possible
strategies to resolve conflict where he spoke on the
importance of understanding conflict.
In this session, he allowed the audience to explore
the best practices of mediation and consider how to use
them in the community. By providing the audience with
opportunities to practice meditation, they were able to see
how to positively influence conflict situations.
This particular breakout session associated with
MLK Day helped serve as a reminder that people face conflicts frequently. Students learned that
conflicts escalate when one or both parties are not prepared to accept the status quo.
Junior Staymon Johnson attended the session and felt that he gained a lot from the
presentation.
Johnson said, “I felt that I could benefit from conflict resolution strategies, considering
we face many different conflicts a day, even if we don’t realize it. I learned what really makes up
a conflict and what we as individuals can do in those situations so that it benefits all parties
involved.”
Johnson was not the only student that was moved by the presentation.
Kali Linkous, also a student at E&H, explained how Finney’s words impacted her as
well. Linkous explained that after sitting through the session, she was able to reflect about one of
her own personal conflicts.
Growing up, Linkous went through a tough time dealing with a serious conflict between
her and her father, which fit Finney’s description of a relationship conflict. Linkous said, “The
relationship with my dad became an issue when he left my mom. It led to my parents splitting up
for three years. One day he decided to put himself back in the pictur My reaction was to push
him away when he made an attempt to create that bond again. Finally I realized I had to fix the
relationship because he was back for good, leaving me to change my actions and resolve the
conflict.” Linkous felt that her story was one of many examples that involved the process of
conflict resolution.
The annual day of remembrance meant to honor Martin Luther King Jr. made an impact
on more than just two students at E&H. Hundreds of students attended the various events on
campus this past Monday.