Searching for civility, Commission holds forum

One student said he has the right to freedom of speech. Another student said she has the right to study in a harassment-free environment. And so the debate raged during the Commission on Strengthening the Community's first open forum yesterday afternoon. The forum was designed to provide an opportunity for students to voice their concerns to Commission Chairperson Gloria Twine Chisum and Commission members, Associate Social Work Professor Peter Vaughan and College senior Mita Sanghavi. Chisum, who is also the Vice Chairperson of the University's Board of Trustees, opened the forum by asking the audience, made up of 20 or so people, to offer suggestions on how to promote a civil community. "Our goal at the University is to promote an atmosphere where people can converse with intellectual dialogue on any topic without the fear of feeling demeaned," Chisum said. "We want a cross-fertility of ideas and cultures." College senior Jessica Mennella told Commission members she thinks students are burned out with good reason. "Penn is not a place for women," she said. "It's a white, male, heterosexual place. I feel really lucky that I'm going to graduate knowing it wasn't me. It was the institution." Mennella is a member of the committee looking to resolve the conflict between the Reserve Officers Training Corps and the University's non-discrimination policy. Another student said he doesn't think "you can legislate sensitivity." "I don't know how you do that," he said. "And, I'm not sure if something like that should be mandated." Chisum said creating a civil community should be a top priority for the University, adding that the ultimate responsibility lies with the students. "You live here, you study here, and you've got to make the community," she said. "No one can do it for you. You've got to take the initiative to make a civil campus." When the discussion turned to the University's racial harassment policy, one student said he disagrees with having such a policy. "The problem with the racial harassment speech code is that it infringes on free speech," he said. "No one wants people to enjoy [using epithets] but you can't confront ignorance by pushing it into silence." Chisum said she thinks he is making a "wild assumption." "I do not think free speech is in conflict with civil rights," she said. "Civil rights argue for the support of freedom of expression." After 90 minutes of similar debate, the forum ended. Although it raised familiar issues, Chisum said she thought the session was productive. "A lot of things said, I've heard before," she said. "But, I think it's important to hear from as many people as we can."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.