Belonging and Civility on Today’s College Campus

Thoughts delivered at the fall 2022 opening convocation at Notre Dame College.

As we wrap up today’s program, I would like to speak to you all about belonging. Belonging is a concept that has become more prominent especially in the world of higher education. In the best of all worlds, it is a desired outcome of serious work in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Out of necessity during the pandemic, our lives became more virtual. Wasn’t it great that we could have meetings while still quarantined or isolated? Wasn’t it great that we could deliver instruction via zoom? I think most of you probably share my sentiment that the answer to those questions is “not necessarily, probably not.”

How many times have you been on a Zoom or Teams meeting while you were quietly multitasking on another device at the same time? I admit it. I did it. You know that your students were easily distracted during virtual classes. As if our addiction to technology wasn’t already bad enough, we fell deeper into that pit during the pandemic. There are forces at work, driven by profiteers, that seek to keep us tethered to devices and social media no matter the cost. And there is a cost. And that cost is a lack of belonging. This is especially prevalent among our young people.

The following are a few excerpts from the article “Social Media and Loneliness - Forever connected?” 2019 Higher Education Studies.

“One of the important questions raised by educators and therapists is whether young people’s presence in the virtual sphere constitutes an adequate substitute for a sense of belonging and mitigates the loneliness that young adults often experience.”

“The findings of the HomeNet Project (Kraut et al., 1998) indicate that participants who spend a significant share of their time online reported high levels of loneliness and stress during the day.”

“Studies show that online social activity leads to changes in modern attachment patterns in human society, especially in adolescents and young adults (Chukwuere & Chukwuere, 2017; Kontos et al., 2010; Prensky, 2001). It is also should be noted that virtual friendship is quite different from traditional face-to-face friendship. Preference of virtual friendship leads to a decline in social skills (Bonebrake, 2002; Fuchs, 2017; Kraut et al., 1998).

Last year I spoke about the uncivil discourse that continues to plague our communication today. The anonymity created by social media platforms, I believe, has promoted this uncivil discourse.

Our belief, our approach, as laid out in the strategic plan, calls for a highly personal, in person experience for our students, faculty and staff. If we want to deliver the kind of transformational educational experience we promise, it must be delivered in person. Some will choose to opt for online education, and we will continue to grow that market, but that is not what the typical, traditionally aged college student seeks or needs.

Our work in the DEI space should help us better understand and engage with one another. The goal of our work is not homogeneity. Rather, it’s the understanding that comes from really getting to know someone.

Another aspect of our plan calls for an integration of Catholic Social Teaching and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition in our work. At the very heart of the Christian tradition is a deeply personal encounter with Christ. Christ did not come as an avatar or a meme or through Instagram messenger or Snapchat. He was real, and he engaged with real people, often people outside of his cultural and ethnic circle.

I commend all of you for the way you engage our students in the classroom, office and fields of play. I think these times require us to do more. We must continue to engage and encourage them to engage with each other in real, respectful, and personal ways. This is the climate we need to encourage on our campus. We must also be that for each other. We must be present for one another and ready to engage in our own meaningful and civil discourse. That’s my challenge to all of you. Be present to each other and our students so that we all feel a sense of belonging.