True engagement is possible only when students feel safe and encouraged to speak up. Benedict College takes that responsibility seriously, creating a culture where students feel empowered to participate because the authority figures in
their lives do, too.
Benedict, a small campus with fewer than 1,000 students per class, intentionally cultivates a “family” feel, where faculty members are seen as equals who sit alongside students in class and actively participate in campus protests and sit-ins. When faculty model what healthy, lifelong civic participation looks like, students feel empowered to follow suit.
Tools like “class agreements,” where students shape the norms and expectations of their classroom culture, further reinforce that students and faculty are working together to create a culture of participation, conversation, and acceptance. A healthy dose of humor helps, too.
One Benedict professor, also the school’s Campuswide Immersion lead, uses events like “Improv Wednesdays”—during which students discuss complex topics in the style of improv comedy—and “Failure Fridays”—opportunities to dissect democratic systems that have failed— to send the message that speaking up is fun, not scary. Once that message lands, it stays ingrained for years to come.
Benedict College is part of Campuswide Immersion where campuses are working to reach every student, not just those who opt-in. See more examples in Motivation Matters: From student interest to civic action.
