After months of review, and input from the campus community, a committee of faculty, staff and students has completed its review of the 25-year-old Principles of Community, made modifications — and put forth the document for reaffirmation next week.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi will be the first to sign, and other administrators will follow her during the ceremony from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, in the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Others in the campus community are invited to sign poster boards during a reception from 2:30 to 3:30 in the theater’s lobby.

The campus celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Principles of Community in March by presenting a first draft of the revised document, as prepared by the Principles of Community Reaffirmation Committee. The committee held four public forums, two on the Davis campus and two on the Sacramento campus, to gather feedback — and used it to inform the committee’s work on a second draft.

The committee also considered feedback from campus organizations, and individual input that came in by email.

“This was truly a community effort in creating the revised POC,” said Vickie Gomez, director of campus and student community engagement in the Office of Campus Community Relations, and chair of the Principles of Community Reaffirmation Committee.

The chancellor established the committee last year as the 25th anniversary approached, seeing it as “an opportune time for us to consider how changes within the campus community require us to evaluate how the Principles of Community might need to be amended so they continue to be current.”

The chancellor and the committee cited the document’s clarity of values as one of its attributes. “Therefore, it was not the committee’s intention to completely revise the POC, but, instead, to make Important edits where required, to continue to inspire the concept of advocacy and to underscore the POC’s standing and meaning as an aspirational statement,” Gomez said.

“It espouses how we want to relate to each other and interact as a campus community. It is important that all our community members work together to create a climate that is inclusive and welcoming.”

COMPARING THE DOCUMENTS

The prologue is an addition: UC Davis is a diverse community comprised of individuals having many perspectives and identities. We come from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences, with distinct needs and goals. We recognize that to create an inclusive and intellectually vibrant community, we must understand and value both our individual differences and our common ground. The UC Davis Principles of Community is an aspirational statement that embodies this commitment, and reflects the ideals we are seek to uphold.

The original preamble: “The University of California, Davis, is first and foremost an institution of learning and teaching, committed to serving the needs of society. Our campus community reflects and is a part of a society comprising all races, creeds and social circumstances. The successful conduct of the university’s affairs requires that every member of the university community acknowledge and practice the following basic principles:”

The revised preamble: “The University of California, Davis, is first and foremost an institution of learning, teaching, research and public service. UC Davis reflects and is committed to serving the needs of a global society comprising all people and a multiplicity of identities. The university expects that every member of our community acknowledge, value and practice the following guiding principles:”

And here are the principles, original and revised:

• Original — “We affirm the inherent dignity in all of us, and we strive to maintain a climate of justice marked by respect for each other. We acknowledge that our society carries within it historical and deep-rooted misunderstandings and biases, and therefore we will endeavor to foster mutual understanding among the many parts of our whole.” Revised — “We affirm the dignity inherent in all of us, and we strive to maintain a climate of equity and justice demonstrated by respect for one another. We acknowledge that our society carries within it historical and deep-rooted injustices and biases. Therefore, we will endeavor to foster mutual understanding and respect among the many parts of our whole.”

• Original — “We affirm the right of freedom of expression within our community and affirm our commitment to the highest standards of civility and decency towards all. We recognize the right of every individual to think and speak as dictated by personal belief, to express any idea, and to disagree with or counter another's point of view, limited only by university regulations governing time, place and manner. We promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity and respect.” Revised — “We affirm the right of freedom of expression within our community. We affirm our commitment to nonviolent exchange and the highest standards of conduct and decency toward all. Within this context we reject violence in all forms. We promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity and respect. We further recognize the right of every individual to think, speak, express and debate any idea limited only by university regulations governing time, place and manner.”

• Original — “We confront and reject all manifestations of discrimination, including those based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, status within or outside the university, or any of the other differences among people which have been excuses for misunderstanding, dissension or hatred. We recognize and cherish the richness contributed to our lives by our diversity. We take pride in our various achievements, and we celebrate our differences.” Revised — “We confront and reject all manifestations of discrimination, including those based on race, ethnicity, gender and gender expression, age, visible/nonvisible disability, nationality, sexual orientation, citizenship status, veteran status, religious/nonreligious, spiritual or political beliefs, socioeconomic class, status within or outside the university, or any of the other differences among people which have been excuses for misunderstanding, dissension or hatred. We recognize and cherish the richness contributed to our lives by our diversity. We take pride in all our achievements, and we celebrate our differences.”

• Original — “We recognize that each of us has an obligation to the community of which we have chosen to be a part. We will strive to build a true community of spirit and purpose based on mutual respect and caring.” Revised — “We recognize that each of us has an obligation to the UC Davis community of which we have chosen to be a part. We will strive to build and maintain a culture and climate based on mutual respect and caring.”

Earlier coverage, with the first draft of the revision.

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