Day of Civility, about Aggies looking out for others
For the first time at Utah State University, Aggies Think, Care, Act will sponsor a Day of Civility on Thursday March 31.
“Basically we just want — it’s a big goal — but we to achieve about 17,000 acts of kindness in one day,” said Ashley Fischer, a student representative for Aggies Think, Care. “This event promotes service projects on campus and in our community. That’s what Aggies Think, Care, Act is: it’s to look out for one another and just care about each other.”
Fischer, a senior majoring in Family, Consumer and Human Development, is in charge, under her supervisor, of making sure events like Day of Civility happen to make students more aware of ATCA and their purpose.
Aggies Think, Care, Act (ATCA) is a part of USU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and other groups around campus, including USU Housing, Access and Diversity, the Vice President’s office and Utah State University Student Association (USUSA), are helping to sponsor Day of Civility. Evelyn Hernandez helped with the flyer design and John Brooksby helped with myUSU portal coordination.
“More and more the world is seeming like not a safe place,” said David Bush, director of CAPS. “We thought ‘What could be a good thing that Aggies Think, Care, Act could get behind … how could we promote that kindness is more powerful than aggression, that love is greater than fear?”
ATCA wanted to also build off of what was done during USUSA’s Mental Health is No Joke week, to continue to promote good mental health and a sense of a caring community on campus, Bush said.
“I know this is probably naive, but we thought what if you had all 17,000 Aggies doing the simplest thing, all on the same day? Where they just posted something on somebody’s Facebook saying ‘You’re awesome,’ or they just left a note on their roommate’s pillow or took them for Jamba Juice or went over to the ARC to play dodgeball, or they wrote on their professor’s board ‘You’re awesome,'” Bush said.
Those sponsoring the Day of Civility hope people outside of the USU community will also hear about it and want to do something good for someone else.
“We want it to be viral, so people send comments to one another on the Internet, so that it’s seen on the Internet, and so that people not just on the campus see it,” Fischer said.
In regards to viral influence, ATCA wants to combat the acts of violence that have been happening around the world, to “kind of pay it forward in a good way,” Fischer said.
They also thought that it would be good time of year for pick-me-ups, due to some gloomy weather, Bush said. They thought it would be a “perfect time of year to say ‘Look for a way to make a positive difference in the world,'” he said.
Those sponsoring the event have 10 suggestions for students in regards to things they can do on Day of Civility:
- Write a thank you note.
- Post a compliment.
- Send a letter of gratitude.
- Perform a random act of kindness.
- Leave a treat for a roommate.
- Thank a professor.
- Help a neighbor.
- Share a smile.
- Sing someone a song.
- Invite a friend to the ARC.
Bush suggests students click on the link on the myUSU portal page and watch a video clip about paying it forward, as well as listening to the James Taylor song “You are the Only One.” They also suggest that students visit the Val R. Christensen Service Center on campus to help promote service projects on campus and in the community.
For more information about Aggies Think, Care, Act visit their Facebook page at: facebook.com/aggiesthinkcareact, and for more information on CAPS, visit: usu.edu/counseling.
— mandy.m.morgan@aggiemail.usu.edu
@mandy_morg