National On-Campus Report 1972-1992
"Carolinian Creed" hits intolerance from a different angle

Many campuses around the country have tried to deal with intolerance by "enacting hate speech" codes. But most of the codes have fallen in the courts for violating the First Amendment’s right to freedom of expression.

A couple of administrators at the U. of South Carolina, however, see more than a legal flaw in such codes. So they’ve worked to develop a new approach to the problem-a "social honor code" for USC called the "Carolinian Creed."

The creed, says Associate Dean of Student Development Jerry Crotty, approaches the problem of intolerance from a positive point of view, rather than a negative. It was developed, he says, to bridge the gap between the behavior USC expects from its students and the behavior students actually display in their daily lives.

You Have To Tell Them

Part of the problem with speech codes, Crotty says, is that colleges and universities that try to use them don’t clearly define what behaviors they expect from students. Instead, he says, the schools use the codes to give students some minimum standards to follow-in other words, they tell students what they can’t do or say.

"But behavior of colleges students is not often influenced by rules," Crotty says. "Students usually know how to get around them, so one more rule, like a speech code, does very little to change behavior."

The creed, Crotty says, takes the opposite approach by telling students up front what the University wants from them. By choosing the be part of USC, the creed says, students are obligated to:

Practice personal and academic integrity;
Respect the dignity of all persons;
Respect the rights and property of others;
Discourage bigotry, while striving to learn from differences in people, ideas and, opinions;
Demonstrate concern for others, their feelings, and their need for conditions which support their work development; and
Refrain from and discourage behaviors, which threaten the freedom and respect every individual deserves.

"We all want students to gain an acceptance and an appreciation for the differences they see around them," says Dennis Pruitt, USC’s Vice President for Student Affairs. "It seems to us that asking students to strive for ideals can be just as effective as telling them what not to do."

But Is It Enough?

Some have said USC’s approach to the problem is too simplistic. "In and of itself," Crotty admits, "it is."

But Crotty says the fact that people have used the creed - for everything from RA training seminars and student government proposals to judicial hearings and newspaper editorials - shows that it’s catching on and influencing students.

"It really makes me think the creed means something to people when they reference it, as many have done." Crotty says. "People are beginning to turn to it as an authority. That tells me it’s having an effect."

Pruitt says some who have questioned the creed say it’s no good without penalties. Students can’t break the creed like they might "break" a speech code, the critics say, so how can the creed be effective?

Pruitt says the critics are missing the point. The creed, he says. Is a set of goals – it was never meant to be a set of rules.

"Every aspect of the creed is essentially covered by some rule or regulation already," Pruitt says. "All we’ve done is take a rulebook that is 131 pages long and condense it into some simple postulates that everyone can understand.

"So what good is it? Well, we all acknowledge that we don’t monitor whether students are following the creed. But nothing shapes the community more than peers influencing each other. Nothing is more effective than that human interaction and empowerment. The creed simply provides a standard for all of us – one we can try to live up to in our personal lives and use to shape the community around us."

CONTACT: The Office of Student Judicial Programs, 900 Assembly, Suite 103, Columbia, SC 299208, or call at (803) 777-4333.