The Common Experience is a program within the Office of First-Year Experience designed to cultivate common intellectual conversations and facilitate increased interactions among faculty, staff, and students. Our goal is to enhance student participation in the intellectual life of the campus by encouraging open discussion, civil discourse, and critical thinking. We aim to achieve this by utilizing the Common Read. The Common Read is a novel selected annually and sets the theme for First-Year Seminar Courses for freshman students. It provides students a chance to deconstruct and explore a common subject through multidisciplinary lenses and apply academic thought towards finding meaningful solutions to discovered challenges. Throughout the year, various events and programs will provide opportunities for engagement for the entire university community and beyond