Peter Arcidiacono is an assistant professor of economics at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Arcidiacono is the co-author of a 2004 study that concluded that increasing the minimum wage would decrease a worker’s chances of finding employment.

Campus Pride is an organization that works to create a safer and more inclusive LGBT environment on college campuses nationally.

Jennifer Collins is a law professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. She is co-author of an article on issues raised by Octomom, “Eight Is Enough,” in Northwestern Colloquy.

Dr. Richard Payne is a professor of medicine and divinity at Duke University in Durham, N.C. He is an expert on end-of-life issues and Christianity.

Come to the Table is a project of the Rural Life Committee of the North Carolina Council of Churches that links food, faith and farms. Scott Marlow is executive director.

Ian Palmquist is executive director of Raleigh-based Equality North Carolina, which advocates on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents of the state, and chairs the national Equality Federation.

The Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine (TriCEM) is a nonprofit institute exploring the intersection of evolutionary science and medicine. The center is jointly operated by Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Central University. It is based in Durham, N.C. Charlie Nunn is director.

Charles D. Orzech is a professor in the religious studies department at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro and serves on the steering committee of the American Academy of Religion’s Buddhism section. His specialties include medieval Buddhism and Taoism.

Richard M. Jaffe is an associate professor of religion at Duke University and serves on the steering committee of the American Academy of Religion’s Buddhism section. He specializes in Japanese Buddhism.