East Tennessee State University will again spotlight respectful dialogue and community connection during its annual Civility Week, an initiative designed to bring students, faculty and staff together to engage in conversations across differences.
The program, which began nearly two decades ago through the university’s Student Government Association, aims to create opportunities for the campus community to reflect on shared values and build understanding. Joy Fulkerson, director of ETSU’s Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement, said the event was originally created to help people from different backgrounds and viewpoints connect with one another.
“It has been going on for a couple of decades,” Fulkerson said. “The Student Government Association started this effort to really bring people together across difference — ideology, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation — just lots of ways. How do we bring our campus together?”
Civility Week will take place March 23-27, following the university’s spring break.
In recent years, the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement has partnered with SGA to organize the weeklong initiative. Fulkerson said the focus today is on recommitting the campus community to ETSU’s core values.
“I would describe Civility Week now as an intentional opportunity for us to recommit to our university values,” she said. “Our values of people come first, people are treated with dignity and respect, diversity of people and thought is respected, and relationships are built on honesty, integrity and trust.”
Events throughout the week will include workshops, discussions and interactive activities designed to encourage thoughtful conversations among participants. Organizers also hope to create spaces where students can practice navigating difficult discussions.
“We practice sports, we practice a musical instrument, we practice so many things,” Fulkerson said. “But we don’t practice how to have difficult conversations. Civility Week is about creating space where people can learn how to do that.”
A highlight of this year’s program will be a keynote address from John Quiñones, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and longtime ABC News correspondent. Quiñones is widely known as the host and creator of the television program “What Would You Do?”, which uses hidden cameras to examine how people respond to moral dilemmas in everyday situations.
Fulkerson said Quiñones’ work aligns closely with the goals of Civility Week.
“That show is really focused on human behavior and moral decisions,” she said. “It’s a good backdrop for what we’re trying to do — thinking about how we take responsibility for one another and how we act when we’re part of a community.”
The keynote event will be held in the D.P. Culp Student Center Ballroom and will be open to the public. Fulkerson said bringing a national speaker to campus offers students and community members a unique opportunity to engage with ideas and conversations that extend beyond the classroom.
In addition to the keynote address, organizers are planning collaborative events with campus partners such as the Counseling Center and the Campus Ministry Association. One returning concept is a conversational space inspired by the university’s recent “Cafe Curiosity” event, where participants gather in a relaxed setting to share ideas and perspectives.
The activities are designed not only to spark dialogue but also to help participants build empathy and understanding.
“Oftentimes if we’re willing to have a conversation and hear someone’s lived experience, it either validates what you already believe or gives you a different perspective,” Fulkerson said. “It’s about raising awareness and understanding that we can be different people but still respect each other.”
Fulkerson said she hopes students approach the events with curiosity and openness to meeting people they may not otherwise encounter.
“I hope they come with a sense of curiosity and a desire to be connected with one another,” she said. “There are often more things we can connect over than people sometimes realize.”
While Civility Week highlights those conversations during a specific time each year, organizers see it as only the beginning of ongoing dialogue on campus.
“Though we have this intentional moment to recommit to our values, we live those values every day,” Fulkerson said. “Our hope is that Civility Week becomes a launching pad for continued conversations and opportunities to build community.”
