Professor Richard Sugarman, the director of the Integrated Humanities Program (IHP) for first-year students, encourages his students to grapple with ethical and moral questions inside and outside of the classroom. This is why he and the Integrated Humanities Program, the Integrated Social Sciences Program, and the Dewey House for Civic Engagement decided to bring U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to campus on Nov. 16 to engage with students and faculty on "The Fight for Social Justice and Equality."

"No one has fought harder and on more levels and with more success in the pursuit of justice in the United States than Senator Sanders," said Professor Sugarman.

The conversation, in Q&A form and occupying most of the event's time, brought out a myriad of social, political, as well as personal concerns of some of the students. Questions posed to the senator dealt with the environment, healthcare, the performance of the Obama administration, Afghanistan, education, homelessness, gay marriage and more.

"We are living in a moment fraught with danger," Sanders said, referring to what he feels are the three large issues that we as a nation are currently most invested in: the economy, healthcare reform, and global warming. Sanders urged students and the younger generation as a whole to consider people who are in underprivileged positions, and to put their minds and education to use for the greater good of society and the nation, not just for greater economic benefits.

"All of this speaks to a change in our national priorities," Sanders said, "We need your generation to help transform the values of our country." Sugarman believes that the religious and philosophical studies he specializes in should inform students of "the most urgent questions of contemporary life," like those that were discussed by Sanders and students.

Sanders discussed his ideas of a more democratic socialist government, including the idea of healthcare as being a right as opposed to a privilege. Immediately following the conversation, Sanders flew to Washington D.C. to discuss the current bill on the table in the Senate.