Greetings, Dragon Nation!

Once again, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you as we start the second semester.

This has been a very challenging year in terms of national and global conflicts.  Locally, we are in the beginning of a very contentious election cycle.  No longer are the days when elections are just about issues and policy.  Now, each election is seen as “the most important election in history” and people that had been friends for years are now turning on each other.  Anyone that doesn’t share one’s views is seen as the enemy and inherently evil.  All kinds of behavior that would once have been considered abhorrent has become normalized and is now commonplace. 

Globally, the war grinds on in Ukraine; Gaza has become a humanitarian disaster following the vicious attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians; international trade is threatened by Houthi militants firing rockets and missiles at non-military shipping in the Red Sea; Pakistan and Iran are trading bombardments; North Korea has declared that unification with the South is no longer a goal and is preparing for the “inevitable” war; the South China Sea is starting to boil over, and the list goes on.

All these issues affect our learning community.  Many of us may have direct connections to one of the global areas of conflict but most certainly have political beliefs that are in play in the current election.  In both cases, it is very likely that we have classmates on the other side of the conflict or issue.  How do we maintain our friendships and collegiality when there is so much discord? 

The answer is civility.  Civility is becoming a lost concept in our culture.  In a nutshell, civility is the act of treating each other with courtesy and respect.  It means treating each other fairly and with compassion.  It does not mean that you must compromise your beliefs or values.  It means being able to disagree without being disagreeable.

In the very near future, the MLWGS community is going to work on crafting a Civility Statement.  Think of it as a companion to the Honor Code.  It will represent our commitment to continue to strive to make MLWGS a place where all are welcomed, valued, and respected.  There will be opportunities to contribute to this process, and I am hopeful that you will see the value in such an endeavor. 

MLWGS has always managed to keep above all the turmoil that surrounds us.  Having said that, I understand it is becoming a lot harder to maintain this ideal. I believe that we must be intentional in our commitment to creating and maintaining a civil environment.  Hopefully, this will be a good first step to do so.        

Thanks again to Jabberwock for giving me another forum to stay connected with you. Until next time, stay safe, stay strong, and go dragons!