Adopted November 17, 2021: College Governance Council adopted a baseline of gathering spaces norms required in every gathering or meeting space across campus.

The College Governance Council recommended to the President and the President affirmed that Skyline College adopt a baseline of gathering spaces norms to align with the campus wide work of Intergroup Dialogue and the People’s College Initiative so that every person can expect that these norms will be honored when entering a meeting or gathering space on campus. Every group can add/customize to the needs of the particular committee or organization.

  1. Students First
  2. Interpersonal Level of Equity – Peer to Peer, no hierarchy in the room
  3. Challenge ideas, not people
  4. Use concrete examples
  5. Stories Stay, Lessons Leave
  6. Make Space vs. Take Space
  7. Self-care
  8. Trust the process
  9. Give credit where it is due
  10. Safe Space vs. Brave Space
  11. Respect/Multi-partiality - experience & communicate respect in ways that are informed by our culture, tradition & language; no tone policing
  12. Listen for understanding
  13. Honesty/transparency
  14. Calling in is preferred to calling out
  15. Speak for yourself - not for others, reframe in the positive
  16. Be careful of speaking in generalities - frame comments in your own experience
  17. Giving grace, even when grace isn’t given
  18. Assume positive intentions and take responsibility for impact

Download the Gathering Space Norms