Building the desire and the capacity for mutual dialogue are core elements of educating Anna Maria College students to become individuals who will transform their world as ethical leaders and community-oriented professionals.
Whether in the classroom, playing field, office, performance space, on-line, residence hall or communal space, Anna Maria College students, faculty and staff have meaningful opportunities to engage in respectful and constructive dialogues on a range of academic, political and social topics. These opportunities encourage critical thought and the sharing of ideas in our common pursuit of truth.
The mission and values of the College provide a framework for open and civil dialogue towards the goal of building up justice and peace, including among those with opposing viewpoints. We welcome constructive debate with mutual understanding as a goal, debate that helps to clarify issues and the points of view of all parties –even if it does not always result in full agreement among all concerned.
As we strive to create and preserve an atmosphere of mutual discourse in our Anna Maria community, we especially keep in mind the following principles:
- Participation in open dialogue comes with a personal moral responsibility to: listen carefully and respectfully, engage in an exchange of ideas, contribute to the dialogue, ask questions and seek mutual understanding;
- We recognize that a message of hate, threats and/or bullying can cause harm to others and has no part in academic or professional dialogue;
- As a community that draws upon the Catholic intellectual tradition, Anna Maria College honors faith and reason as complementary paths toward peaceful solutions, open dialogue and rational discourse.
As members of the Anna Maria Community, we uphold our commitment to open dialogue throughout the campus, which includes an open sharing of ideas that respects all the members of the community, without compromising intellectual integrity or the commitment to our mission and values
