Although students hold a generally positive view on the current state of discourse and interaction at Dartmouth, the numbers were split along racial and gender lines, according to the annual report recently released by the College's Civil Discourse Committee.
During the Winter Term, the committee asked students to answer survey questions about how much they feel they are respected in campus discussions and what they think of the state of campus discourse in general.
Differences between the sexes and between students of color and white students were pronounced in responses to survey questions addressing respect and support.
Twenty percent of white students said they found themselves frequently offended by campus behavior, while nearly twice as many students of color expressed this feeling.
Almost 20 percent of students of color and 12 percent of white students responded that their opinions are often not treated with respect at the College.
Surprisingly, twice as many men as women responded that their views are often or very often not treated respectfully.
Men and women also responded differently when asked about the importance of convincing others to change their views. While slightly more than half of the students responding to the survey said changing one's own mind is important, almost twice as many men as women said they often actively try to convince others to change their views.
Most respondents also agreed on the importance of allowing dissenting views to be heard and listening to them, although more women than men said this was "very important" to them.
The report mentioned several incidents of disrespectful behavior, such as the "ghetto party" held by Alpha Xi Delta sorority and Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity during the Fall term and the T-shirts distributed for the Homecoming football game against Yale University that depicted a bulldog performing oral sex on a Native American.
At the same time, the report highlighted several instances of open dialogue that served to further understanding, such as discussions hosted by Agora, Voices and the Student Assembly, the creation of the organization One Dartmouth, and student responses to the "ghetto party" and the Trustees' Social and Residential Life Initiative.
In addition to the annual report, the Civil Discourse Committee, founded in 1997 by former Dean of the College Lee Pelton, organizes lectures on civility and tolerance, as well as occasions for conversations with student groups and faculty members. It also works through surveys and focus groups to assess attitudes toward civility and tolerance on campus.
The Committee, chaired by Dean of the Tucker Foundation Scott Brown, is composed of Acting Senior Associate Dean Kate Burke, Drama Professor Paul Gaffney, Assistant Director of the Language Resource Center Inge Brown and 10 students.
