The Round Table at Mississippi State University encourages students to come together to discuss current political events and policies in a calm and civil manner.
Luke Chaney, a sophomore political science major, founded the club in fall 2022. It is open for everyone to join, and Griffis Hall hosts its meetings.
Chaney, who serves as the Round Table’s president, said he was inspired to create this community after studying abroad at the University of Oxford in England.
He said he saw what was being done with the Oxford Union, a debating society, and wanted to bring that to Mississippi State.
Chaney said this community creates a place for students to discuss their beliefs without criticism from others. 
“A part of the spirit of the club is free speech and free expression. You can go there and say whatever you’d like, even if it might be considered controversial in other settings. It’s always accepted here,” Chaney said.
Round Table Vice President Tanner Marlow, a senior majoring in agronomy, said he and Chaney have established a community that can get together and talk about all matters.
Marlow said a part of why this idea has been successful can be contributed to the club’s constitution.
“It’s in our constitution that the argument has to be factual, ethical and it cannot be based on feelings. If you have a claim like ‘the sky is pink,’ you must support it with some evidence, such as around five or six o’clock on some nights, the sun sets, causing the sky to become pink,” Marlow said.
Marlow said the act of change in today’s society is usually improbable. The goal of Round Table is to improve that attitude.
“We can always get better. We can always work off each other,” Marlow said. “We need to create a community in the Mississippi State University area that people can go to and feel comfortable saying what they mean.”
This way of thinking tends to extend past politics and can be applied to other topics as well, Marlow explained. 
Marlow said it is not about whether Batman is better than Superman but about figuring out an explanation for each side of the argument.
“At Round Table, our goal is learning that process, teaching that process and advocating for civil discourse,” said Marlow.
Round Table does not have an official schedule, but Chaney said they plan to meet each Wednesday to discuss pre-selected topics for the week. Chaney said the meetings last about an hour.
“We come in and have two opening speakers who present background information on the two different takes on the topic. Then, the floor is open to discussion. That way, everyone has a bit of background information, including observers or first-time visitors who might not know a lot about the topic,” Chaney said.
Devin Hutchins, a sophomore double majoring in philosophy and economics, said that the club has given him the ability to voice his opinion.
“The Round Table has increased my sense of community in the Honors College. Often, it’s hard to find something you can really contribute to here in college, but this organization has started to shape up the intellectual community I envisioned when I applied,” Hutchins said.
Chaney, Marlow and Hutchins alike advocate for new members to join the club and express their opinions. Hutchins said more members only make the club better.
“I think that expansion is great,” Hutchins said. “Ultimately, we want as many students to show up as possible so that we can have better, more diverse and more insightful conversation.”
Chaney said any student is welcome to attend meetings and is given a short introduction before speaking about a topic.
“The best way to get connected with the club is on Cowbell Connect. Another way to get involved in the club is just to attend meetings,” Chaney said. “We always introduce the speaker, and I’ve found that people enjoy the meetings.”