Start of the new Respect campaign

The Respect campaign focuses on each one of us: every member of the ETH community has the chance to make a point and step in as an upstander if they witness disrespectful or inappropriate behaviour. Whether in a meeting, research group or informal lunch: “Behaviour such as bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination and threats or even violence have no place in our university,” says Joël Mesot, ETH President. “Our community is built on mutual respect for one another. I therefore call on all ETH members to stand up for these values. Look out for each other – and don’t be afraid to step forward if you personally witness disrespectful behaviour – in a respectful manner, of course.

Tips for “upstanders”

Stepping in when you witness inappropriate behaviour – and thus switching from passive bystander to active upstander - is not always that easy, however. “Stepping in during a situation where boundaries have been crossed requires a lot of courage,” confirms Julia Dannath, Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership. “But becoming an upstander is something you can practise.” Tips on how to respond in challenging situations can be found on the campaign website and in the next issue of the staff magazine life.

Putting respect at the top of the agenda

As well as these tips, there are various opportunities to engage with the topic of respect as part of the new campaign:

-          ETH Zurich will be holding a series of events all about respect from 10 to 30 November 2021. ETH members can sign up for more than 25 workshops, talks and events and learn about different aspects of respect. The full programme and registration details can be found here.

-         In the external page video, Executive Board members Joël Mesot, Sarah Springman and Julia Dannath speak about their personal experiences of respect.  

-          Lecturers can access a set of slides to show at teaching events to help draw students’ attention to the campaign. Template 16:9, Template 4:3

-          If you want to make a point about respect at your next online meeting, you can also use new backgrounds for your meetings on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. These backgrounds can be found here.

-          Over the next few days all ETH members will have the opportunity to make their own personal statement on respect by post. You will find more information in your letter box soon. Students can post their own statement about respect in person at the ETH main building or on Hönggerberg campus.

All the information on the campaign can be found at: www.ethz.ch/respekt/en