Letter from the chancellor on recent acts of intolerance.

UC Davis is celebrating its 20-year-old Principles of Community with a special week, March 1-4, and a new online training tool to help us live the principles each and every day.

The week’s schedule includes discussions and programs open to all: students, staff and faculty. “We want to renew our commitment to maintaining an inclusive campus, an inclusive workplace,” said Vickie Gomez, program coordinator in the Office of Campus Community Relations.

All segments of the campus community worked for 18 months on the Principles of Community, formally adopted in 1990 and reaffirmed in 1996 and 2001. “We affirm the inherent dignity in all of us, and we strive to maintain a climate of justice marked by respect for each other,” the document states.

“We acknowledge that our society carries within it historical and deep-rooted misunderstandings and biases, and therefore we will endeavor to foster mutual understanding among the many parts of our whole.”

The document goes on to affirm the right of freedom of expression within our community and our commitment to the highest standards of civility and decency toward all.

“We recognize the right of every individual to think and speak as dictated by personal belief, to express any idea, and to disagree with or counter another’s point of view, limited only by university regulations governing time, place and manner. We promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity and respect.”

The principles grew out of student activism, and that is the topic for the first program of Principles of Community Week. Organizers said “Our Story of Activism” will address activism within various underrepresented, underserved and marginalized communities.

Other programs will address race, gender and sexuality, the immigrant experience, and hate speech, prejudice and oppression.

Another program will feature a demonstration of the new “Living the Principles of Community” online course.

It is not required, but if you are unfamiliar with the principles, or have not reviewed them in a while, “then by all means, set aside an hour or two for the online course,” said Mikael Villalobos, administrator of Diversity Education.

The online course is the work of Villalobos; Lisa Brodkey, director, Sexual Harassment Education; and Binnie Singh, director, faculty relations, Offices of the Chancellor and Provost.

The course explains how the Principles of Community “don’t automatically create community,” then describes and defines some challenges, including things like unlawful discrimination, which includes sexual harassment; a lack of understanding of affirmative action; and a lack of appreciation of diversity.

Sprinkled throughout the course are several workplace scenarios, each of which includes a number of options about how you might respond, say, if your co-workers raise age as a factor in a hiring decision; or some of your colleagues joke about a co-worker’s transition from male to female; or a co-worker refuses to address one of his colleagues by his preferred name, Mohammed, calling him “Mo” instead.

Or, the course asks, should you respond at all? Ultimately, the instructors conclude “that we think it’s important for everyone to assume some responsibility for responding and intervening” when something inappropriate happens.

The course goes on to acknowledge that getting involved is not easy, but that the alternatives include a bad work environment, tension, perhaps even outright hostility, and, for the university itself, the risk of costly lawsuits.

According to the course, each member of the campus community has a right to report discrimination and harassment and other workplace conflicts, and to do so confidentially, and to be given protection against retaliatory action.

The online course is available through the UC Learning Center: lms.ucdavis.edu (search for “Living the Principles of Community”).

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY WEEK

March 1

2:10-4:10 p.m. — Unpacking Privilege: Understanding Race, Gender and Sexuality. Cross-Cultural Center.

6-9 p.m. — Our Story of Activism, Part III, King Lounge, Memorial Union.

March 2

Noon-1 p.m. — Living the Principles of Community, a demonstration of the campus’s new online learning tool. East Conference Room, MU.

5-11 p.m. — Immigrant’s Tale, a documentary project in which students are invited to tell their stories. Interested in participating? Set up an appointment by e-mailing ucdimmigrantstale@gmail.com.

7:30-10 p.m. — Sick Spits Open Mic Night. Do you sing, dance or play an instrument,? Do you write poetry or short stories? Come and express yourself through spoken word or other artistry. Griffin Lounge, MU.

March 3

7-9 p.m. — That’s So Bleep, designed to raise awareness of the relationship among hate speech, prejudice and oppression. King Lounge, MU.

March 4

Noon-2 p.m. — Transgender Safe-Zone Training. More information is available from Sheri Atkinson, slatkinson@ucdavis.edu, or by calling the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center, (530) 752-2452.

All events are free and open to the campus community.

ON THE NET: principles.ucdavis.edu