Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, Broward College President J. David Armstrong Jr. and Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Broward College is pleased to announce the line-up for its Village Square open-forum debate series, currently scheduled to begin in October 2016 and run through May 2017. Topics for the upcoming season of Dinner at the Square and Take-Out Tuesday events will include discussions on hate speech, religious tolerance, prison reform and over criminalization, systemic poverty, and public hospitals. The series will close in May with a panel discussing one of the top stories covered by the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board.

The non-partisan discussions feature community leaders and experts who communicate their views on prominent issues facing South Florida. The goal of the Village Square debate series is to provide a safe, comfortable forum to better educate the public on diverse issues of local, state and national importance. The Broward College Village Square non-partisan debates consist of two event formats – Dinner at the Square and Take-Out Tuesday.

The signature Village Square event, titled Dinner at the Square, focuses on a primary issue facing the community during each event. To parallel the diversity of opinions and highlight the thriving community of Fort Lauderdale, each Dinner at the Square is held at a different venue. Guests are provided dinner as they listen to the panel of community representatives and topic experts present varying viewpoints. Tickets are $35, including dinner, for pre-registered guests and $45 for additional guests.

The second event series, Take-Out Tuesday, is free and open to the public and consists of a panel discussion on topics of local and national importance. Guests are encouraged to enjoy their own take-out dinner as they watch and participate in the forum. All Take-Out Tuesday events are held at Broward College Downtown Fort Lauderdale Campus, located on the eleventh floor at 111 East Las Olas Blvd.

Speakers who participate in the Broward College Village Square events boast Broward County Democrats, Republicans, and Independents; and represent City and County Commissioners, educators, business owners, professionals, and religious and non-profit leaders. Previous panelists have included Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, Commissioner Dale Holness, Mayor Daniel Stermer. The Village The Village Square Advisory Board is comprised of 25 community and political leaders and is co-chaired by Mayor of Fort Lauderdale Jack Seiler and Broward County Commissioner Chip Lamarca.

To purchase tickets, please visit Broward.edu/villagesquare. Sponsorships currently are available. For more information on sponsorships or participating as a speaker, please contact Adriana Fazzano at 954.201.7518.

Dinner at the Square

• New Politics of Hate- October 13, 2016
• Prison Reform/The Over criminalization of Americans- February 15, 2017
• Do We Need Public Hospitals?- May 3, 2017

Take-Out Tuesday

• Religious Tolerance- November 15, 2016
• Systemic Poverty/How the War on Poverty Failed? – March 21, 2017
• The Sun Sentinel’s Editorial Board: LIVE! - April 18, 2017

About Broward College:

Serving more than 63,000 students annually, Broward College offers certificate programs, two-year university-transfer degrees, two-year career degrees and baccalaureate degrees in selected programs. The mission of the college is to provide high-quality educational programs and services that are affordable and accessible to a diverse community of learners. For more information, visit www.broward.edu.