Coastal Carolina University will hold a National Issues Forum on "Racial and Ethnic Tensions" on Tuesday, July 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the H. Dale Williams Center for Extended Learning conference room. The event is free and open to the public.

The event, sponsored by Coastal's Division of Extended Learning and Public Services, will focus on three possible deliberative approaches to resolve these issues.

The forum will be facilitated by Jennifer Shinaberger, director of academic outreach and distance learning at Coastal. According to Shinaberger, the deliberative process advocated by the National Issues Forum helps people voice their concerns and opinions in a structured setting. Through this process, citizens weigh the pros and cons of specific issues and identify concerns they hold in common. By learning this constructive method for discussing complex topics, people can apply the method to other issues facing their communities.

Forums are held each year around the country in cooperation with the Kettering Foundation, a national research organization that studies what it takes to make democracy work as it should.

The event is sponsored by Coastal's Division of Extended Learning and Public Services and the University of South Carolina Institute of Public Affairs in partnership with National Issues Forums Institutes.

For more information or to register, call 349-2665 or visit www.coastal.edu/learn on the Internet.