In recent months around the nation and just recently here in our own Greater Binghamton community, we have seen incidents of bias and hate, with grave results for one of our local citizens, while others crop up in our national media all too regularly, even within our own Congress. With all this in mind, now is a good time for us to review our Civility Statement, our most basic guide for campus conduct to remind us what we stand for as an academic community and to help our broader community in this endeavor. Our civility document was approved in 2013 and 2014 by the groups that comprise Shared Governance here at the college and then by our Board of Trustees.
Our SUNY Broome community is bound together by our commitment to learning and academic community. We are a unique and special community as an academic one. As with all communities, but especially community colleges with our open access missions, we are comprised of individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds, attributes and points of view. Community colleges host among the most diverse communities in our nation, thus we can be a beacon to all.
One of the older meanings of “civility” is civilized society itself. A campus culture that promotes respect, integrity and safety adds to the civilized nature of its host community and can help to weave a thread of respect that binds us all together to make this a safer environment both physically and intellectually for anyone entering our academic community. Safe space — both to move about and to discuss challenging ideas in a civil way — is critical to the success of any serious higher education enterprise.
Please review our Civility Statement at least on an annual basis but more often as a situation may call for it. You are also always welcome to offer any suggestions for improving it. May it remind us all what it means to be a member of an academic community which seeks to have a broader impact on its surroundings.
Students and other members of the campus community who would like to receive support for addressing issues of civility and tolerance can contact Counseling Services, which is located in Student Services Room 210. Students can stop in to make an appointment or call 778-5210. Faculty and staff may bring issues to any of our Shared Governance bodies for discussion or to their appropriate Dean or Vice President.
Kevin E Drumm, PhD
President, SUNY Broome Community College
Civility Statement
SUNY Broome is committed to providing an environment which is conducive to learning and civility. Civility is a commitment to respect one another and encourage professional and academic growth with open communication, honesty, and empathy. Civility is a dedication to provide these values to everyone within this community. The college wishes to promote civility through these core values in every aspect of campus affairs:
- Respect one another and property
- Significance of every person’s right to be heard
- Help one another to succeed
- Be accepting of all people
- Open communication between; administration, faculty, staff and students
- Honesty
- Personal integrity
- Acting with kindness and consideration towards others
- Safety
- Promoting social responsibility
- Professional and Academic growth
- Non-violence
- Pride of institutional and collegiate community
- Promotion of Shared Governance
SUNY Broome commits to producing well rounded students who are not only educated, but skilled and prepared for challenges of the future. While this civility statement cannot guarantee the principled and considerate conduct we all would hope for, it can serve as a guideline for all members of this academic community.
All members of the SUNY Broome community are expected to uphold the above outlined commitments to promote civility amongst one another.
Endorsed by Student Assembly on November 19, 2013
Endorsed by Council for Academic Issues on December 18, 2013
Endorsed by Council for Operational Issues on December 19, 2013
Endorsed by College Assembly on January 27, 2014
Endorsed by Executive Council on March 10, 2014
Endorsed by Board of Trustees on March 20, 2014
