That was the Respect campaign 2021

Actively make a point and step in as an upstander if you witness inappropriate or disrespectful behaviour: this was the theme of the Respect campaign that ran from 25 October to 30 November 2021 at ETH Zurich. Various activities were organised over the period to highlight the issue of Respect. In particular, there were 27 events where ETH members had the opportunity to get to grips with different aspects of this important issue. “This was a very popular offering, as confirmed by the high number of participants and the positive feedback we received,” says Ernestine Hildbrand, project manager, summarising the campaign’s impact. “The Respect events 2021 played an important role in embedding respect even more deeply in our ETH culture and encouraging actions that create a climate of mutual respect.”

Making a point together

One thing that must have caught most people’s eye would have been the special “artwork” displayed in the entrance hall of the ETH main building in the second half of November: points made by staff and students, written on different coloured paper dots that had been mailed or handed in personally beforehand, were assembled into one giant point that immediately attracted attention in the entrance hall.

The first point was made by Dr Julia Dannath, Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership. “It’s important for us to continuously remind ourselves how fundamentally important respectful behaviour towards others is for our community. This is particularly true in the current climate, which presents special challenges for many of us and where mutual understanding is incredibly important,” Julia Dannath stresses. “I am delighted that so many ETH members have literally raised the visibility of respect as a topic by helping to create a giant colour point. I am particularly impressed by the additional comments about respect written by many staff and students on their points.”

What’s next?

Although the special Respect month has ended, respect is still a hot topic at ETH. On the one hand, plenty of informational material is available for any interested ETH member (see box below). On the other hand, respect will once again be a focus next year, when a dedicated E-learning module on the topic of respect will be available to all ETH members. "It is important that we cultivate a respectful culture," says project manager Ernestine Hildbrand. "Through the campaign we were able to stimulate important discussions and draw attention to standing up for respect together - in the spirit of the 'Stand up for respect' campaign."