Colleges Respond to a Decline in Civility on Campus

April 27, 2011

From fights to bullying to acting inappropriately as representatives of a school, colleges are trying to make sure their students know how to act like adults.

When the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched its investigation of Yale University based on a complaint of “a sexually hostile climate,” it also launched a national civility debate, the USA Today reports. Now, after a string of incidents at schools from Rutgers to UCLA, universities are launching efforts to bring common courtesy and professionalism back to college campuses.

After employers complained of students behaving unprofessionally during internships, Virginia’s George Mason University launched a new course called Professionalism and Civility which aimed at promoting “respect” and “tolerance.” GMU lecturer Leslie Morton, who originally pitched the course to the administration, said:

“People don’t take time to think about consequences. Who am I hurting? Will this be embarrassing?” the rest


Civility problems cause uproar on college campuses
For a group of women at Yale, the last straw came in October, when fraternity pledges marched on campus shouting a sexually offensive slogan. The women complained to the Department of Education, which began an investigation by its Office forCivil Rights...