Community Standards

Why do we talk about Community so much at UD?

Community is the essential component that differentiates us from any other mid-sized, Catholic university. In documents that describe the educational mission of UD, we talk about distinctive learning environments and an education in “particular community building skills.” A Catholic education is distinctive because it places the pursuit of knowledge in context. We don’t become proficient in our chosen professions to pursue knowledge for knowledge’s sake or even to simply make a living. We pursue proficiency so that we can contribute something vital and productive to our communities, in a well worn phrase, so that we might make the world a better place. To have such influence, we must be an active and positive member of the communities in which we learn, live, work, play, and pray; it does not happen by accident. Rather we seek to create the kind of community that characterizes an ideal educational environment.

What does the ideal community look like at UD?

We don’t actually know. While we can describe the ideal components, community is often a messy, lengthy, complex, process-oriented thing. What we have managed to do in the “Philosophy of Community Living at the University of Dayton” (2005) document is to describe what we aspire to be. As community members, we:

· Engage in constructive conversations, respecting the dignity of others, while being true to one’s own beliefs.
· Are committed to learn continually. A life long commitment to learning encourages us to think critically, cooperate with and challenge others, and integrate knowledge from a variety of places.
· Participate. Communities cannot function at their best unless members are involved, ready and willing to serve others individually and collectively. Individuals must be prepared to act as responsible leaders and/or informed followers.
· Are open, friendly, hospitable and welcoming. An ideal community does not segregate itself, exclude certain groups or discriminate amongst members.
· Celebrate. Giving gifts of time, energy, and talent reaps benefits for all that must be acknowledged and appreciated.
· Grow spiritually and morally. They take responsibility for themselves and their actions, understanding that a faithlife is an important component of their self identity. Also, they take responsibility for others, actively participating in solving problems that challenge the well-being of the community as a whole.

The vision of community that is described above should be viewed as both a journey and a destination. Reaching it is not as important as being an open and committed traveler, striving to be a part of a strong and healthy community.

So What are Community Standards?

Community Standards are the agreements determined by your floor residents concerning how residents will relate to and treat each other. Floor members will spend time discussing and agreeing on how the residents will relate to each other. While Community Standards can be seen as a product – a list of agreements, Community Standards is a process by which individuals begin forming a community through dialogue, compromise, and commitment. Community Standards evolve, and therefore the Community Standards process is never finished. Because Community Standards evolve, they should not be thought of as a task to be completed but as a means by which community interactions occur.

An important aspect of Community Standards is discussing and deciding how students will hold themselves accountable for the agreements. Discussing the issue of responsibility and accountability of each floor member to every floor member can be difficult. This difficulty comes because many students believe that someone else (i.e., a RA, the Police, other authorities) is responsible for making sure that the resident gets what he/she wants. Another way to think of this is that many students do not want to stand up for themselves. Equally difficult can be the thought of holding someone accountable. Many students are very concerned about being accepted by their peers. Holding a peer to a standard may be personally uncomfortable.
“Community Standards” is an on going process that defines mutual exceptions for how the community will function on an interpersonal level. Community Standards further provide a mechanism for the community to respond to behaviors that violate the agreements of the floor.

Why have Community Standards?

We believe that college students are maturing adults. This means that they are making choices for themselves and learning from the outcome of their choices. The young adult years are perceived as years of freedom, experimentation, limit finding, and limit testing. If these years and the experience that occur during these years are to lead to an increased ability to make mature judgments then the student must have the opportunity to make decisions so that he/she can experience the result of those decisions. An important area of decision making for college students concerns lifestyle and personal conduct.

Community Standards provides a means by which student expectations of the Resident Assistant to meet their needs is shifted to a recognition that the individual and the community must work together to create an environment that best meets everyone’s needs. The Resident Assistant becomes a person who helps this process to happen instead of someone who fixes things for people.

If every student lived in perfect isolation, he or she could conduct him or herself in any way. In reality, we exist within a tightly networked society. This means that our behavior impacts other people, and in the same way, the behavior of other people impacts us. Because we are affected by another’s behavior, we tend to have expectations about what we consider to be O.K. for the other person to do. We may or may not realize that our behavior affects others or we may believe that everyone has the same expectations that we have.

If students are to live together in reasonable harmony, they must have the opportunity to express their expectations of how they want to be affected by others. By discussing these expectations residents hear the range of expectations and therefore have a harder time holding on to the belief that everyone does “X”or that everyone wants the same thing I want. Out of an awareness of expectations, the residents can discuss their different expectations and come to agreement on ways that they can live with the differences or compromise around the differences. This process may not be easy because it requires many students to achieve new understandings and new behaviors quickly. One of these is the ability to consider another’s point of view as being valid and thus needing to be taken into consideration in one’s own point of view.

The context of learning that is created by the Community Standards discussion can be a powerful tool to encourage student development and floor community. We have already identified how the process can cause an awareness of others. It can also encourage students to build self-esteem through declaring oneself, through assertive interactions, and through the empowerment that comes from group agreement. Community Standards also shift responsibility for the floor from the Resident Assistant to the residents. Rule enforcement and conduct problems are no longer sole responsibility of the Resident Assistant; they are the responsibility of the community. By establishing Community Standards and floor responsibility, residents are empowered to deal with problems before they mushroom. This system can have the effect of reducing the probability of problems occurring.

What about University Policies and Procedures?

Both the University as a whole and Residential Services have policies and procedures that every resident must abide by. They represent the basic safety and management issues necessary to assure reasonable quality-of-life for all residents. Primarily they establish minimum behavioral expectations and are in agreement with local, state, ad federal laws. Community Standards do not replace these, nor may they be in violation of these. For example, a floor may not form a standard that candles be burned at each floor meeting as Campus Housing has a policy against candle burning. However, these policies and procedures are of such basic nature that they should not impede a floor’s ability to create the standards they desire. For a complete list of these please consult the “University of Dayton Standards of Behavior” and your housing contract.

How are Community Standards developed?

Community Standards are developed through group discussion and consensus. Through this format each resident is afforded the opportunity to assert his/her point-of-view. An underlying tenet of this system is the belief that in order to have one’s needs met, one must accept responsibility for participation in the system designed to negotiate one’s needs. Through implementing the Community Standards model, we are providing the opportunity for residents to learn that they are responsible for their experience, and that they are not simply passive recipients of experience. Recognition of this concept can lead to personal empowerment.

Suppose the community does not want Community Standards?

It is unlikely that every person on a floor will choose to reject the Community Standards process. Those residents who want a voice will determine the Community Standards. Those who chose not to participate will be held to the standards of those who framed them. This is a reality of life, i.e., if I give up my right to influence circumstances, I must respond to the circumstances I am given. This learning experience may encourage some of those who chose not to participate to choose to participate during the next Community Standards meeting.