Over 44 million people in the US have student debt, according to the Federal Reserve. The class of 2017 owes, on average, nearly $30,000 in student loans, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. This kind of debt can be a huge weight on young college graduates. So what can you do when student loans are the "new normal"? Grace and Erica sat down with Bob Hildreth, founder of the Hildreth Institute, a new nonprofit fighting for debt-free college. He shared his knowledge about the student debt crisis and what could help to end it.

Professor Emeritus Andrew Bacevich, a veteran of the Vietnam and Gulf wars, has spent his academic career writing about American imperialism. He gave a well-regarded university lecture in 2007 about the "illusions of managing history," arguing for the contemporary relevance of 20th c. theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. In this episode we explore his career and intellectual evolution. He articulates a rather profound dissent to the employment of American military power, and discusses how Niebuhr's The Irony of American History impacted his worldview. Dr. Bacevich is also the author of works such as Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country and America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History, among others. In this interview we heavily reference a work he edited and contributed an article to, The Long War. We are very grateful to Dr. Bacevich for his time. For a further exploration of Reinhold Niebuhr see our episode with Rev. Julian Cook. If you are interested in having conversations like these you can find out about applying at bu.edu/htc and finding Common Thread under the programs tab.

William McKeen is the a professor of journalism and author of 7 books, one of which includes "Outlaw Journalist," a biography of gonzo journalism maverick Hunter S. Thompson. McKeen helps paint the broader picture of Hunter S. Thompson from his childhood, the beginning of his career, into his later years. Here he discusses not just who Hunter S. Thompson was to the world, how he contributed to literature and journalism, but who Hunter Thompson was to himself. We try to make sense of Thompson’s story, a rebel and lifelong political dissident, a walking contradiction—gun-toting, America-loving, yet fiercely, wildly on the side of liberal reform in the 60s and 70s.

Lawrence O'Donnell is the host of MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and the author of the new book Playing With Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics. We speak with him about his book, the enduring relevance of that election and its effect upon modern day journalism. Mr. O'Donnell is also the author the 1983 book Deadly Force: The True Story of How a Badge Can Become a License to Kill, a writer and producer of the TV drama West Wing and former Capitol Hill aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. If you're interested in having conversations like these, please see http://www.bu.edu/thurman/programs/the-common-thread-podcast/ for more info on The Common Thread and how you can potentially join the team.

In the first part of our conversation with Brother Larry, University Chaplain for Community Life, we discussed the phenomenon of protestantization. Here we look at the case study of Confucianism that he addresses in his work. First, we take you through a crash course on the development of its ideas. Then, we talk about how protestantization may change the tradition. We also briefly address other religious traditions in the latter part of this discussion. We would like to thank Brother Larry for his time and insight. If you're interested in having conversations like these, please see http://www.bu.edu/thurman/programs/the-common-thread-podcast/ for more info on The Common Thread and how you can potentially join the team.

This discussion is the second segment of an episode with Professor Oscar Martinez-Tapia Nebrija University and IE [Instituto Empresa] in Madrid. Here we move from regional nationalisms in Spain to a broader look at how populism is shaping western democracies, and how habits of life are changing with modernization. The episode drifts nicely from how the central Spanish government is dealing with Catalonia into a broad social commentary that sums up our time with professor Martinez-Tapia. Our thanks to him for his time.

A continuation from part 1. Erin sat down with Professor Hutch Hutchinson to dig deeper into experiential education. They focus on the history of summer camp and its role in breaking apart barriers - just the beginning of all that Hutch can discuss on outdoor education. Be prepared to be bewildered by him.

After working with Professor Hutch Hutchinson during BU Orientation this summer, Kobe and Erin sat down with him to dig deep into experiential education. The Common Ground program, in which new students use GPS mapping to explore the city, visit historical sites, and get to know each other, is built upon these principles. Although one of the key components of experiential education is outdoor education, principles from summer camp, high ropes courses, backpacking trips, and outdoor teambuilding retreats are applicable in all settings, for all groups of people.

Team members Erin and Patrick met Diane Gallagher, the Nursing Archivist at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center. We learned that not only did she serve in the Peace Corps in Cape Verde when she was 53, but won the Lillian Carter Award from President Jimmy Carter and has met with Michelle Obama. Her book, Lure of Service (now on the shelves of the Howard Thurman Center), is an entertaining memoir of her time in Cape Verde - the projects she worked on, who she loved, and what she learned from the Cape Verdeans. A New York City native, Diane now is a host mother for Harvard's international student program and continues to be involved with the Peace Corps. We sat down and chatted about her beliefs on whining, grit, learning about other cultures, caring for people, humility, and what BU means when it says we need to be global citizens. We hope you enjoy her insight and jaw-dropping stories as much as we did.​

Nadeem Mazen is a two term city councilor in Cambridge, as well as an entrepreneur and community organizer. In this conversation we discuss issues of education and housing in Cambridge, along with civic engagement, money in politics and more. Due to a self-imposed term limit, he plans to leave the council after this term, but will continue working on community issues through JetPac Inc. a non-profit aimed to train and equip Muslims and people from other underrepresented communities to run for office.

Erin and Kobe spoke with Mike DeSocio, COM '17, who published a photojournalism piece on LGBTQ youth homelessness for his Senior Keystone Project at BU. His story traces the path of Liniste, a trans youth in Boston who has had her share of encounters with both shelters and advocacy groups.

Thread members Mac and Varsha talked with Marwa Sayed and Matt Thacker about their revitalizing of SLAP, the Student Labor Action Project, which serves as a solidarity movement to support the workers at Boston University. They discuss the different groups and unions they've worked with, and how they're seeking to grow the group from here.

Continuing our conversation with Reverend Julian Cook, we discuss the political machine of Chicago, and the political history behind former major Harold Washington and activist Jesse Jackson.

Naomi Carolan, an undergraduate international relations student, has an extracurricular interest the North Korea. Matthias and Kobe sat down with her to discuss recent developments in the region and larger geopolitical issues as well.

Dr. Houchang Chehabi, professor of international relations at BU, was in Turkey during the failed coup attempt last summer. We wanted to sit down with him after April 16th's referendum, in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan codified and consolidated dictatorial powers. We discuss Dr. Chehabi's experience in Turkey, the political trajectory of President Erdogan, and the international impact of this sea change in Turkish politics.

Chicago has come up frequently in the national political conversation, mostly to serve as a negative example for everything that’s wrong with the country and society today. Matthias sat down with Reverend Julian Cook for the first episode of a series on Chicago’s history from 1966 to present day. This episode focuses on the social conditions that motivated MLK JR to take the Civil Rights movement to Chicago, the turbulence of the sixties, and Chicago as an economic hub amongst other things. We hope the conversations will provide some insight into the spirit of the city, its challenges, its aspirations and the historical dynamics that made the city what it is today.

A continuation from episode 2. Dr. Bin Song is pursuing a second PhD in religious studies. He has a deep knowledge of the Confucian tradition, which we draw on for Parts 2 and 3 of this series. Here, we discuss the compatibility of Confucian values with Western societies, Confucianism in 20th C. China, and what Confucianism has to say about education.

Dr. Bin Song is pursuing a second PhD in religious studies. He has a deep knowledge of the Confucian tradition, which we draw on for Parts 2 and 3 of this series. Here, we discuss the compatibility of Confucian values with Western societies, Confucianism in 20th C. China, and what Confucianism has to say about education.

Boston Confucianism, which argues for the applicability of Confucian values globally, rather than just in East Asia, is an intellectual movement pioneered by Dr. Robert Neville (former Dean of Marsh Chapel and the School of Theology; currently a professor of Philosophy, Religion and Theology at BU). Here, we discuss the inception of Boston Confucianism and the many potential points of contact between Confucianism and the west.

In a spontaneous moment, Mac, Matthias and Kobe find themselves in a room with some of today's biggest activists and ask them one important question. Then the activists take the mic. Spin this Thread to unwind their wisdom. Learn more about the activists you hear on our website, commonthreadpodcast.com/edge-of-activism