The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

CSUSM PROMOTES CIVILITY ON CAMPUS- CIVILITY CAMPAIGN HOPES TO REFORM THE UNIVERSITY’S SENSE OF COMMUNITY

KYLE M. JOHNSON
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

At the start of this semester, the Civility Campaign was organized and founded on the CSUSM campus.

The campaign, led by the Dean of Students Office, promotes the essence of community and the values needed to reach a strengthened sense of community. This idealistic community is said to be reached through the practice of a set of values and respect.

“The university strives to be a community demonstrating respect for oneself and for others, treatment of others with dignity, and behaviors which promote a physically and psychologically safe, secure and supportive climate enabling all community members to engage as full and active participants where the free fl ow of ideas are encouraged and affirmed,” the Civility Campaign page on the CSUSM website states. The campaign’s committee consists of roughly 15 members comprised of CSUSM faculty, staff and students. The committee lives by a pledge which states, “As a member of the CSUSM community I will conduct myself with care, respect, and empathy while acknowledging the culture and humanity of others.”

During U-Hour on the first Tuesday of every month, the Civility Campaign hosts a t-shirt day in which free shirts are awarded to the winners of an opportunity drawing.

On the Civility webpage, students are also encouraged to nominate any CSUSM faculty, staff and students who display civility on campus. At the end of the month, the committee will award one Civility ICON (Initiating Civil Opportunities Now) with their picture displayed on the Civility website, a multi-colored shirt and a Civility hat.

The committee’s vision is that “one simple act will have a ripple effect and a tsunami of civility will take over our campus.”

The Civility webpage also features Monthly News & Exercises. The exercises act as a way to practice and learn about civility. One such exercise featured in the November News & Exercises involves writing a letter to someone who has had a positive impact on you and reading it to them.

“With Civility, we will reach a consensus where we can identify with each other not by the political spectrum, physical characteristics, or by societies standards, but by where we stand for the good of the community,” student and University Student Union Representative Matt Walsh says on the Thoughts from the Committee page.

Photo courtesy of CSUSM Civility facebook

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