Rutgers begins Project Civility

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Sept. 28 (UPI) -- New Jersey's Rutgers University announced the start of Project Civility, a school-wide event aimed at creating "a more charitable campus culture."

The New Brunswick campus's Offices of Student Affairs and Undergraduate Education said the project, involving faculty, students and all Rutgers personnel, will include lectures, discussions and student activities aimed at the "ongoing inquiry about the nature of true respect for others."

"We will test the hypothesis that a community-wide effort to cultivate small acts of courtesy and compassion in our daily lives will result, over time, in a more charitable campus culture -- one marked by an increase in thoughtful communication and a decrease in hostile encounters," the school said in a news release.

The officials said their ultimate goal for the project is to "contribute to a stronger, more closely-knit university: healthier, happier, and celebrating diversity in all its forms."