Student Affairs Professionals’ Perceptions of Campus Incivility

The purpose of this study was to gather data regarding student affairs professionals’ perceptions of student incivility and which acts of incivility are most often observed. Results from 409 participants suggested that student affairs professionals perceive that “very uncivil” acts are observed less often whereas acts that are perceived to be neither civil nor uncivil are witnessed more frequently. In addition, findings indicated that student affairs professionals are seeing an increase in uncivil acts related to social media and technology, and the manner in which students are using social media to vent frustrations with campus staff and their peers. Finally, recommendations for practice and further research are provided. While the concept itself is broad and its definition can vary, the ways in which individuals treat and respect one and other has been a subject of great importance within higher education. Countless books have been written about it, and individuals regularly tour the country speaking to faculty, staff, and students on the topic. The Dutch scholar, Erasmus referred to it as “what enables us to live together” (as cited by Connelly, 2009, p. 52) and George Washington once wrote, “every action done in company, ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present” (Connelly, 2009 p. 47). Additionally, Forni (2002) defined it as “being constantly aware of others and weaving restraint, respect, and consideration into the very fabric of this awareness” (p. 9). Today, it is most often referred under the broad term “civility”. In the context of the university setting, perhaps civility is best described as “the authentic respect for others when expressing disagreement, disparity, or controversy. It involves time, presence, a willingness to engage in genuine discourse, and a sincere intention to seek common ground” (Clark & Carnosso, 2008, p. 13). Conversely, incivility would encompass speech or actions that are disrespectful or rude, ranging from insulting remarks and verbal abuse to more volatile, aggressive behavior (Tiberius & Flak, 1999). On college campuses, civility issues typically are linked to student conduct. In the early 1990s, a report by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching found that student conduct had worsened on college campuses, and that there was an increase in incivility towards other students and faculty (as cited by Sorcinelli, 1994). The council offered a number of recommendations, including the idea that faculty, administrators, and students increase their participation in campus life to build a better connection to their students. In addition, the report suggested that campuses create a list of common principles, values, and clear expectations that encourage respect for others. In 1997, Forni co-founded the Johns Hopkins Civility Project to both promote and study civility on Johns Hopkins’ campus (Troop, 2012). Other colleges and universities around the country followed suit, and the number of civility campaigns and programs on college campuses quickly increased. Institutions developed intervention programs, committees, workshops, courses, and websites in hopes of positively affecting campuses and decreasing instances of incivility both in and outside of the classroom (Connelly, 2009). These actions led to an initial feeling within higher education circles that incivility was on the decline. 6 Zieziula and Calhoun: Perceptions of Campus Incivility Published by Digital Commons@Georgia Southern, 2014 Nonetheless, Connelly (2009) recommended that higher education institutions continue to research issues of incivility to assess its magnitude and impact. Despite this recommendation, thus far the research on incivility on college campuses has been either anecdotal, aimed at specific disciplines, (such as nursing or music majors), or institution specific (Bjorklund & Rehling, 2010). More recently, Alkandari (2011) found that classroom incivility was deemed an important issue by campus administrators, but in general there are few studies that have focused on this topic within higher education. Given this gap in the research, the purpose of this study was to gather information on acts of incivility from a student affairs perspective, and more specifically to assess the types of incivility observed as well as the frequency and severity of these acts.