Anderson College of Business Hosts Purnima Voria, Founder & CEO of National US India Chamber of Commerce

Photo Source: Katie Clark

By: Marley Weaver-Gabel, Editor in Chief

On February 5, Purnima Voria of the National U.S. India Chamber of Commerce (NUICC) joined Regis students and faculty as the guest speaker of the executive speaker series hosted by Anderson College of Business. Students, professors and faculty members gathered in the Mountain View Room for snacks, networking and conversation.

Associate Professor Luka Powanga kicked the night off and introduced the guest speaker, commenting, “It is all about networking, so make sure you don’t leave here without getting her business card.”

Purnima Voria is currently the Founder and CEO of the National U.S. India Chamber of Commerce and she has served on several advisory councils, including Governor Owens’s and Mayor Hickenlooper’s Asian Advisory council. Voria is also known for her motivational speaking, international business expertise and advocacy for small and medium-sized corporations.

In 2005, Voria founded the NUICC with the goal of deepening trade relations between India and the US. Voria works with thousands of businesses, advising, supporting, and guiding them through negotiations and logistics of bilateral trade between the two countries.

“India is going to lead the world in the 21st century,” Voria shares, explaining the focus of NUICC: promotion of global businesses to cross barriers and borders. “It is vital for Colorado to embrace global change and create opportunities for businesses by going to India,” she goes on to say, indicating her hope for Colorado under the administration of Governor Jared Polis.  

“Who you know is very important,” she said. A large part of successful business partnerships in India comes down to networks and relationship building.  In fact, relationships are a critical component of a business’ success around the globe, so the work that Voria does largely revolves around using her networks to connect U.S. businesses to Indian businesses.  

“You make whatever you want out of your life,” Voria reflects in her closing. She moved to the United States in 1977 under a marriage visa and has since raised three children as a single mother. She started her own businesses, including NUICC, along the way. She embodies the spirit of hope and hard work and implores the audience “to be persistent and go after your dreams.”
The Anderson College of Business hosts several executive speaker nights throughout the year on a wide range of topics for students to attend and network. For more information regarding upcoming speakers, contact Jasmine Ralat, the Administrative Assistant in the college of business at jralat@regis.edu or follow Regis Anderson Business on Facebook.

Is Hate Speech a Necessary Part of the Truth?

By: Marley Weaver-Gabel, Editor in Chief

On Wednesday, November 14, Romero House welcomed students and friends into their home for a hospitality night titled Freedom of Speech, Hate Speech & Crimes. Dr. Rob Margesson joined the group as the guest speaker for the evening to guide discussion and provoke thought and commentary throughout the night.

The night started out with a delicious meal of traditional ethiopian cuisine, cooked by three of the Romero House residents. As guests arrived in pairs or alone, friends greeted each other and sat together to share a meal. After getting hands deep into spicy lentils and well prepared potatoes, the group of roughly 15 students hushed themselves and started discussion.

Dr. Margesson started the discussion by sharing the theory of the marketplace of ideas, which proposes that the only way to understand the truth and the good, we must come into confrontation with the false and the bad. This theory also explains that in order to engage in critical inquiry, we must have access to an abundance of ideas, including those which we may find wholly repugnant. So if we believe in this marketplace of ideas, does hate speech aid in the search for truth?

This was the question that students engaged in throughout the night with thoughtful commentary and inquiry. In discussion, the conversation touched on topics regarding the meaning of truth, the role of the oppressed, and the invitation of hate speech on to college campuses.

“Truth is not only known, but it is felt too,” comments Veronica Postit. With this comment, students faced what the truth is and how it can be defined, either as subjective or objective. There is no clear cut answer of the truth, which is one of the reasons it becomes so important that we are participants in the marketplace of ideas. The free sharing of ideology creates a space to understand truths that can be subjective to each individual.

Through the evening, the conversation transitioned towards the question of obligation. Nick Aranda asks, “Who carries the obligation of understanding the others truth?” The question guided students to reflect about the roles of the oppressor fighting for their own humanity. If not the oppressed, than who will stand up? Does it then inherently become the marginalized to confront the oppressors? While this is a compelling argument, Isaiah Pramuk suggests, “It can really hurt us if we push too far into it.” In many ways, there is a certain level of self care that we must consider when confronting discrimination. Context matters and each person can only do their best, based on their abilities in the moment.

Another large theme addressed the invitation of hate speech into our spaces. Considering the marketplace of ideas, one could say that inviting hate speech into our spaces is a necessary evil to be able to confront those volatile ideologies. Students were hesitant to embrace this idea, instead cautioning that these ideas could become more polarizing and for those who are under informed, it could become their truth.

Leaving Romero House, I had more questions than I came with and more thoughts that I continue to organize. In this safe, comfortable space, with well educated and thoughtful young justice seekers, I found myself comforted by this community. This conversation did not address specific actions, nor did it address our multitude of grievances in response to the hate that has infiltrated our school. Instead, it brought together truth seekers and gave us a space to not react with hate, but react with thoughtfulness in the face of those statements we fundamentally disagree with. THIS is what it means to me to be part of a social justice university.