The Seahawk

Media Credit: Jacqueline Hutton UNCW Senior Omar Vidal reads the Seahawk Respect Compact that hangs in various buildings and classrooms across campus.

A new cross-campus initiative, the Seahawk Respect Compact, encourages the UNCW community to use respectful dialogue in the classroom as well as around campus.

The compact was developed after a Campus Climate Survey in 2006, which showed that the campus could benefit from an affirmation of the campus' values. A committee made of members from the UNCW Faculty Senate, Staff Council, Student Government Association, Graduate Student Association, Human Resources and the Diversity Council then introduced the Seahawk Respect Compact, a statement of core values that are fundamental to a respectful learning and working environment.

"The Seahawk Respect Compact is not meant to stifle differences or freedom of speech, but to promote civil dialogue and respectful interactions among groups," said committee member Dr. Thomas Barth of Public and International Affairs.

The compact was formally introduced through a campus-wide e-mail earlier this week. However, last spring over 2,000 framed copies of the document were hung in classrooms and also in conference rooms around campus.

Dr. Barth stated that the committee wanted to get the document on the walls as soon as they could, but thought it would be best to officially start the new initiative at the beginning of the school year. They will now integrate the compact wherever possible throughout the year.

The basics of the compact state that:

"We affirm the dignity of all persons. We promote the right of every person to participate in the free exchange of thoughts and opinions within a climate of civility and mutual respect.

We strive for openness and mutual understanding to learn from differences in people, ideas and opinions.

We foster an environment of respect for each individual, even where differences exist, by eliminating prejudice and discrimination through education and interaction with others."

UNCW isn't the first campus to institute a document such as the Seahawk Respect Compact. Other universities have similar compacts in what has become a nationwide movement. Virginia Tech has the Hokie Respect, which is read before games, and the University of South Carolina has their Carolina Creed.

"As valued members of our campus community, I strongly encourage each of you to read and reflect on the meaning of these words. Most importantly, I ask that all of us kindly and respectfully remind each other of this document as we interact in the many challenging forums experienced in higher education," Chancellor DePaolo stated in an e-mail sent campus-wide.

The compact isn't strictly for students in a classroom setting. The compact is meant for all students, faculty and staff, including everyone from freshmen to professors to the maintenance staff.

"We all need to be reminded about respectful interaction. Society in general would benefit from documents like the Seahawk Respect Compact," Dr. Barth said. The compact will not be an enforced document like the honor code. It's more of an aspiration of the university. As long as no one crosses the line by using harassing speech, the only enforcement will be everyone on campus holding each other accountable.

"I think that the Seahawk Respect Compact will help the university. Disrespect isn't a huge problem on campus, but we can all benefit from a document like the compact. But it's only going to be meaningful if every individual takes the compact personally," Dr. Barth said.

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