Holding Ourselves Accountable: A Place to Think about Others
The community norms are new but the sentiment we are reinforcing through them, care of others beyond ourselves, is central to the ethos of the Bard experience. Student-led initiatives reflecting this have borne innumerable projects, programs, and practices. From the Bard Prison Initiative to the Bard Farm, students take seriously their commitment to social justice. There are going to be instances when the community norms may seem hard to follow. Mask fatigue will be real. People will forget. Some will be frustrated with the need to socially distance. All members of the community serve as the frontline in encouraging personal accountability and helping others understand and abide by the required behaviors outlined in this addendum. We are asking everyone to approach each other with a framework that includes communication and kindness, with an emphasis on 1) conversation 2) curiosity and 3) reminders.
Masks will be made available around campus for anyone who needs one. You should feel empowered to approach someone without a mask and ask them if they need help finding a spare. If a student or employee hasn’t completed their health check for the day, a conversation can be started by first learning why they missed it that day. Most of the time people will have simply forgotten, were running late, or were overwhelmed in some way and can be gently reminded to put on a mask or to wear it correctly. Most people want to do the right thing. The right thing right now looks different than what we’ve known for most of our lives, so it is going to take some getting used to. Active listening is key. Is someone feeling upset or rebellious or angry about the circumstances? That is normal. It doesn’t mean they are a bad person. It means they are struggling with managing the experiences they are encountering. Reminders about the need to be diligent and engage in safe practices for everyone is essential.
We have created a Bard Care Team, composed of faculty, staff, and students specifically trained in bystander intervention techniques, implicit bias, and personal accountability practices that will help all community members support our values of inclusion, social justice, and protecting the most vulnerable.
The Care Team will reinforce the online training and health pledge that all Bard students and employees have signed, and will follow restorative justice principles in addressing situations that are not resolved through individual conversation. . This approach will address the overwhelming majority of instances and violations. However, all pledges are underscored by the seriousness of the current situation. Repeated or egregious violations will require the Care Team and the college to address the situation swiftly. Violations put the entire community at risk and interrupt education and teaching for all of us. Cases that are deemed by the Care Team to be beyond their purview will be referred to the Dean of Student Affairs Office (or their appointed designee) for review and a restorative conference if the student or employee continues to interfere with the living and learning environment of others. Community members may be separated from campus if the situation cannot be resolved or multiple violations occur.
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