On the last Thursday of every month, a faculty member from the College of Arts and Humanities (CAH) holds an hour long activity at the Iron Horse Brewery. These nights are called Thursday Thinks. The overall purpose of the event is to get students and community members to see professors outside of the classroom setting.

Jason Dormady is an associate professor of history and the host of Thursday Thinks, which he started four years ago. Dormady wanted to create a place where faculty could talk about anything they wanted without restrictions and where the community could ask anything.

“The goal is to exchange and to be interesting, I hope. This is to get the community and college together,” Dormady said.

Dormady looks for faculty members who are doing something that the community might be interested in.

“I will ask other professors who is a dynamic speaker, who is doing work with students.” Dormady said.

When looking for a professor, Dormady does not want to see someone who is just going to lecture.

“I don’t want them to use powerpoints, I want somebody who is interested in being interactive and has something that they are passionate about to share,” Dormady said.

Student feedback has been positive because students get to see their professor in a less formal setting, according to Dormady.

Jamie Gilbert is a professor in public relations and nonprofit organizational management. She will be doing the next Thursday Thinks on Feb. 28. Gilbert will discuss how CWU students can use dance and music as a communication tool to overcome cultural and language barriers.

CWU student Vicente Garcia will lead the audience in Zumba routines he choreographed and us ed while studying abroad with Professor Gilbert in Ireland last August.

“We tend to think that the person sitting across from us thinks the same way, and when the barriers appear or when you find out that they don’t agree with everything we tend to just shut that person down,” Gilbert said.

Vicente Garcia is majoring in elementary education and minoring in dance.

“My goal is to try to get students to go out to the world and experience opportunities like study abroad in their fields because you don’t know how much of a difference it can do to your life,” Garcia said.

Garcia is the dance instructor at the recreation center on campus. If he had not studied abroad, he would never see how Zumba would not only change his life, but others as well.

“The icing on the cake is being able to do this with one of the students, especially one who is so passionate about his life,” Gilbert said.

CWU sends out a mass email about one week before each Thursday Thinks and there are posters around campus. Iron Horse Pub posts about the event on their social media sites as well. The event takes place in the back room of the Iron Horse Pub from 7- 8 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month. Anyone who is under the age of 21 is welcome as long as it is before 8 p.m.