Civility Initiative on Campus

The Committee on Fair Practices has created the Civility Initiative to encourage members of the community to treat others with respect.

The projects of the initiative include bringing speakers to discuss civility, communicating about respecting others through stall signs in conjunction with the Peer Health Educators, and creating discussions to make civility definable on  campus.  

The Committee on Fair Practices is a standing committee that reviews the College’s goals, programs, and actions to make sure they are in accord with state policies against discrimination. This year, the committee is focusing on campus civility. This initiative was started in response to comments from a survey in 2009.

Although the survey produced many positive comments, a number of respondents said students should be more civil to each other, according to Carol de Wet, associate dean of the faculty and professor of geoscience. The impact of civility doesn’t only apply to students. 

“[It’s important that] administrators and professional staff at F&M model civil behavior in all of their interactions, in the classroom and outside of it,” said de Wet. 

In a meeting Thursday, members of the committee noted civility is especially important for students at a residential college, because they are always interacting with one another. They recognize the importance of respecting the common spaces, such as hallways and bathrooms, and avoiding destruction for destruction’s sake. Students also need to respect the privacy of roommates and deal with the issue of guests of a private nature in a civil manner. 

They also discussed digital privacy, but noted that students do recognize what they post on the Internet is permanent. The committee sees those issues as less of a problem. 

In addition, the committee emphasized the importance of civility in the classroom, and that civil behavior in the classroom enhances learning. 

“Students need to feel that if they come up with a thought or an opinion that they are respected and heard,” said Kathleen Clark, the academic department coordinator for anthropology and sociology. 

In addition to this sentiment, the commitee commented on how  students,when they are afraid of being insulted or shot down, are not likely to contribute in discussions. 

The committee also discussed how texting or using laptops in a classroom could also detract from class. 

“A professor needs everyone to be engaged to keep the energy of the class up,” said Sara McCaffrey, professor of business, organizations and society. However, the committee noted that students may have different thoughts about using technology in a classroom and may feel differently depending on the size of the room. The committee felt that considering the use of technology in the classroom from the professor’s point of view would be a good addition to campus discussions on civility. 

The committee members also discussed how in the age of the internet students may question why they need to go to class if all the information they need can be found online. However, they agreed there is a special learning relationship that can only occur with face-to-face interaction. 

The group noted how acts of discrimination and prejudice, such as the use of racial slurs in graffiti, can have a devastating effect on the community. They mentioned how this was a national dialogue and many other schools are starting similar initiatives about campus civility. For example, Rutgers University has been working on an initiative involving panel discussions, workshops and lectures, after the tragic suicide of Tyler Clementi, who killed himself after his roommate posted a video of an intimate encounter he had. 

The committee had worked to generate discussion of civility on campus by bringing speakers to campus to talk about civility. The committee invited Judy Rookstool, the author of Fostering Civility on Campus to come talk to various groups on campus about civility, including athletes, Diplomatic Congress, and Greek organizations. 

In addition, the committee has invited another expert on civility to speak at Common Hour. P.M Forni, a professor from Johns Hopkins University, will be the Common Hour speaker Jan. 26, 2012.  He co-founded the John Hopkins Civility Project in 1997, which was designed to evaluate the importance of civility in contemporary society. In addition, he hosted an international symposium on civility at Johns Hopkins University in March of 1998. He currently is the director of the Civility Initiative at the University, which he founded in 2000. 

According to de Wet, the main questions Forni will be addressing in his presentation are: What is civility? Why is it not a trivial concern? What are the costs of incivility? Why is it important to foster a culture of civility on campus and in life?

 “He will also comment on the impact of information technology on today’s human interaction and quality of life,” de Wet said. 

The committee is also reaching out to the community by collaborating with the students who work with the Office of Health Education and Wellness to create informative signs about civility that are put in the bathroom stalls of the College houses. Jan Masland, director of Health Education and Wellness, is a member of the Committee on Fair Practices, who discussed ideas for the signs with the students. The committee to implement the stall signs Jan. 20. 

The committee wants to make civility definable on campus and make it clear that the idea of civility goes farther than just manners and politeness. In addition, it wants to encourage civility in a way that is universal and doesn’t impose a culture on others. Future plans for the initiative include the possibility of developing a campus statement on civility that can be used on brochures, the school website, and other campus material.