The Civil Discourse Committee outlined its purpose and its observations of the "dynamics of discourse" at the College in its first interim report, released last month.
The committee, chaired by Dean of the Tucker Foundation Scott Brown, was formed in 1998 by then-Dean of the College Lee Pelton to facilitate discussions on civility, tolerance and speech after a series of racial incidents occurred last winter.
"The purpose of the committee is to try to promote discussions and create focal points for discussions throughout the year," Brown said. "Many times we engage in meaningful and sometimes painful issues only after some sort of event."
The report states that the Committee's purpose is to encourage open discussion both "in response to inflammatory incidents" and during less controversial times, when mutual learning may be easier, according to the report.
The report states the committee determined the need for more "respectful dialogue" particularly after incidents such as the "ghetto" party and the Yale t-shirt that depicted a bulldog performing oral sex on a Native American, which offended large parts of the campus last term.
Brown said the committee hopes to foster better dialogue on campus to deepen understanding among different groups which may help prevent future incidents.
"Many student on this campus feel that they are unable to raise their voices and their concerns because of systematic or regular intolerance," the report stated. The committee wants to "improve the daily environment for campus discourse, not just eliminate individual acts of incivility."
The committee plans to sponsor events, speakers, and discussions about tolerance and how it can be improved in the Dartmouth community.
During Winter term registration, the committee conducted a survey of how students engage in conversation and how comfortable students feel doing so. The results will be available later this term.
