Speakers advised students on maintaining positive communication Thursday during Civility Matters.

The event, put together by the Social Justice Collaborative, the library and the Communications department, looked to inform students of how to maintain civility and composure in conversations with those of differing and opposing viewpoints.

“The idea for the event is to get students to think about civil discourse,” Gender and Sexuality Studies Professor Heather Rellihan said.

The event consisted of three sections across it’s 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. runtime, according to Rellihan.

One section featured a class from professor LaTanya Eggleston, with students of hers speaking on civility before taking part in a game of charades meant to simulate the breakdown of communication inherent to everyday interactions.

One student of Eggleston’s noted the importance of civility. “I feel like in this world everybody has to get along with each other in order to work,” said first-year computer science student Patrick Mason. “So like civility is definitely a big play in things.”

Another student of Eggleston’s, third-year biology student Abby Kulp, noted her definition of civility. “It’s all about being civil, being a good human, being a good person,” Kulp said. “We’re all here together to make AACC aware that civility matters.”

“I think it’s wonderful to give students an opportunity to think through the importance of communication as part of their work here at the college, as part of their schoolwork, but also as part of the development of themselves as they attend college,” Rellihan said. “It’s a good opportunity for people to think through things like the importance of communicating one’s feelings and conversations around conflict.”