From Hate to Civility:
what’s diversity got to do with it?
What is “civility”? How does (and should) the university, as a social institution, promote civility? What is the connection between “civility” and “diversity”? These are the questions we (Julie and Laura) seek to address, as sociologists involved in the larger Civility Project initiative. We draw on in-depth discussions held by Julie with selected UC Davis staff, faculty, and administrators, as well as documentary analysis of relevant campus publications, reports, and public correspondence, in order to offer a case-study exploration of civility as understood by members of the UC Davis community. Julie sought out individuals who were either directly affected by, became campus spokespersons for, or had an institutional connection to the series of bias-related incidents that occurred across UC and CSU campuses in 2010. She spoke with 18 people. By sharing the insights of those conversations, our hope is to inspire reflection and dialogue about the issues we raise, not only among campus insiders but between the university and the broader society.
Last year a series of incidents targeting racial/ethnic and sexual minorities occurred across several UC and CSU campuses, prompting renewed interest in the concept of civility among students, staff, faculty, and administrators alike. Everyone agreed that the incidents were uncivil and violated the “principles of community” espoused by the university, but what should the university do? How should it respond? Here is where the concepts of civility and diversity intersect. Members of the targeted groups (and some university officials as well, as indicated in public statements) argued that a more diverse university would be less likely to produce uncivil behavior. That is, the greater the representation of minority populations at all levels of the university (the greater the diversity), the less likely will be people of color and other subordinate groups on campus to experience bias-motivated incivility. Moreover, some argue that the university has a special obligation to achieve diversity, since it is an institution of higher learning that claims to teach against discriminatory attitudes and behaviors. From this perspective, the lack of diversity in the university is incivility institutionalized. Diversifying the university is no easy matter, however, and requires serious structural change made more complicated by Proposition 209 and the long-term withdrawal of state support for public higher education.
In the accompanying pages, we unpack the complex issues related to civility presented here, but we do not provide definitive answers. We share the thoughts and opinions of selected faculty, staff, and administrators in order to bring into discourse new voices and unheard perspectives, and in order to provide a forum for reflexive discussion.
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