Our Commitment to Community

The Catholic Marianist vision of being in community is based on the conviction every person has innate worthiness, because all people are made in the image and likeness of God:

All persons are endowed with a rational soul and are created in God's image … there is here a basic equality between all and it must be accorded ever greater recognition … any kind of social or cultural discrimination in basic personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language or religion, must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.³

This conviction calls us not only to respect ourselves and others but also to love ourselves and all people because of the human dignity each of us receives from God. Respect and love include:

• making personal, social and academic decisions that preserve and improve one's dignity and well-being.
• seeking intentional opportunities to learn from others, support their growth, embrace their unique identity and be mutually challenged.
• standing with those whose dignity is insulted, helping to change injustice.

As the University statement of dignity clearly states:

A primary assertion of both our religious and civil traditions is the inviolable dignity of each person. Recognition of and respect for the person are central to our life as a Christian and educational community and are what allow us to pursue our common mission while being many diverse persons.⁴

The presence of a wide range of perspectives, experiences, identities, opinions and beliefs — and the diverse people who represent them — enhances the depth of the UD community and our ability to successfully integrate academic, religious, cultural and social elements of our lives.

Practices to Live

• Foster an environment rooted in mutual respect and care by prioritizing behaviors that build community rather than cause harm.
• Cultivate meaningful human relationships built around honesty, growth and expanding your perspective.
• Align your digital presence and information sharing with your values, recognizing your actions impact others and are a reflection of the UD community.
• Engage responsibly in civic society and digital environments using habits of reflection to evaluate ethical implications of your work.
• Approach conflict from a place of patience, understanding, curiosity and forgiveness.
• Build authentic relationships through active listening and empathy. Identify injustice and work alongside anyone impacted to correct it.

Learning, living and working in community are essential to human flourishing and the full education of the whole person. In the Catholic tradition, the human person is inherently social. The Marianist tradition values community as the practical way Christians learn to live the Gospel — striving to love God, neighbor and self in daily life. We learn essential life lessons, such as self-awareness, communication, cooperation, mutual respect, courage, forgiveness, patience and trust, by being in community with others.

The culture of acceptance that Marianists call family spirit focuses on the quality of relationships among the members in the community. It is essential that all members embrace the diversity of cultures that surrounds them by communicating with respect and treating one another as equals. Over the long term, these habits acknowledge the value of inclusivity and the dignity of every member cultivating the ground in which genuine relationships can take root and flourish.⁵

Building community requires more than friendliness and is certainly about more than following rules. Genuine community requires a commitment to hard work, personal growth, authenticity, learning, self-sacrifice, accountability and dialogue.

Such a vision of community and friendship runs the risk of misinterpretation … friendliness and hospitality are genuine expressions of a process that necessarily includes healthy discourse, disagreement and dialogue. Yet, those grounded in the Marianist vision of education recognize that only with precisely this mix of hardships and triumphs can authentic communities be formed.⁶

Meaningful learning is grounded in human connection and daily interaction, including moments of challenge. Through shared experiences of learning, working and living in community, we become persons of greater character and integrity. We grow to understand we are interdependent; what affects others impacts me. Ultimately, we are better prepared to assume responsible participation and leadership in communities, engage civically in society and make a positive difference in the world.

Practices to Live

• Embrace communal accountability, responding with truth and respect when your actions impact others.
• Seek mentors and peers who will affirm and challenge you.
• Listen first, engage in meaningful dialogue and remain curious to learn from others.
• Celebrate your unique gifts and skills while humbly acknowledging your limitations.
• Practice generosity of spirit by offering your gifts and inviting the gifts of others.
• Stand with those who are marginalized, learn from them and support their full, active participation in the community.
• Commit to building collaborative spaces using curiosity to draw upon everyone's talents to address complex societal problems.

The Catholic Marianist emphasis on solidarity and the common good emerges from the conviction we are made to flourish together, and our purpose is fulfilled in just and compassionate relationships.

Rather than prioritizing individual freedom over the needs of others, our concern for the common good means recognizing, when one is hurt, all are wounded. Therefore, individuals and groups must make decisions considering the impact on other people and on the community as a whole. The common good refers to

the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.⁷

Our decisions and actions affect people everywhere — from our classrooms, residence halls and offices to online networks, the local neighborhoods and global communities. The common good is more than compassion from afar, and it is not what is best for a majority at the expense of a minority. It is grounded in the knowledge that we find our fulfillment together. We make the effort to listen to and learn from one another, including those who are excluded or made vulnerable in our communities.

Justice is born from, and fulfilled in, fraternity, because the way we approach and relate to the least among us becomes, in concrete terms, the measure of our relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters. Justice, however, concerns not only the behavior of individuals, but also the way in which the structures of society are conceived and organized … every institution is called to serve the human person and his or her dignity.⁸

Solidarity is the virtue of interdependence.

[Solidarity] is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.⁹

Practicing solidarity means being mindful of how our self-expression affects the community's well being. It means being actively present with those who are struggling and challenging behavior harmful to others. It involves working towards changing unjust social structures that inhibit people's fulfillment. Practicing solidarity includes caring for the environment by making decisions that benefit the Earth and God's creatures. In solidarity, we recognize that our individual freedoms are best exercised when they strengthen the common good.

Practices to Live

• Look at your life's path — your career, leadership and commitments — as a vocation or calling from God, to serve the common good.
• Make intentional decisions with information that you consume and create to promote justice, peace and responsible engagement with artificial intelligence.
• Make choices that contribute to a secure, safe and welcoming environment for everyone.
• Make the effort to listen to and learn from those who may be excluded or in vulnerable situations.
• Challenge groups and organizations to respond actively to community problems and needs.
• Intervene with care when you witness actions that harm individuals or the community.
• Engage in sustainable practices that protect and nurture the environment as God's creation.
• Pursue learning, teaching and research opportunities that impact society positively.