The “inclusive language campaign,” a joint effort by the Department of Resident Life and the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy Office, aims to combat offensive language

The “inclusive language campaign,” a joint effort by the Department of Resident Life and the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy Office, aims to combat offensive language

EDITORS NOTE: Due to editing and reporting errors, this story incorrectly stated Amber Simmons’ role in the campaign. She is a graphic designer in Stamp Student Union and designed all campaign materials. The article has since been changed to reflect this correction.

In a campaign to create a more safe and welcoming campus environment, university officials hope to communicate to students that there’s nothing casual about derogatory language.

Students who may have felt unsafe or unwelcome because of negative language can take solace in the fact that university officials are working to create a more comfortable environment.

The Department of Resident Life and the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy Office joined to organize the “Inclusive Language Campaign” to foster conversation about hurtful and disparaging language and help educate students about its negative impact.

“We’re really focused on this idea and belief that when you let people tell their stories, you can dialogue around it and build a bridge to better understanding,” said Judy Martinez, MICA’s coordinator for Latino/a student involvement and community advocacy and one of the campaign’s organizers.

The idea for the Inclusive Language Campaign began last semester and came to fruition this fall with a flurry of posters, buttons and decals and plans in the works for a banner in front of Stamp Student Union and displays on Shuttle-UM buses, according to Amy Martin, a coordinator for the campaign and associate director for Resident Life.

Students’ stories about how language in the residence halls and across the campus hindered some of their experiences at the university inspired organizers, Martin said. Organizers worked to craft a theme that would spearhead open discussion about the issues surrounding language and identity.

“Students talked about, ‘Would you say that if your mom was here? Would you say that in an interview?’” Martin said of some students’ stories in open forums.

The theme, “Would you say that if…?” emerged from those talks. Other campaign paraphernalia feature various words that can negatively impact students’ well-being and demonstrate how those words affect individuals.

One speech bubble on a campaign poster says, “That exam just raped me!” Below it, another bubble asks, “Would you say that if you knew I was a survivor of sexual assault?”

The goal is not to control what students say, but rather to start a conversation about the use of certain words, Martin said.

“We didn’t want to become word police, or have people doing it out of political correctness — we want people to think about the language they’re using,” she said. “It’s not really to wag our finger at people.”

Some students begin to learn the effects of their language after hearing personal stories, Martin and Martinez said, which prompted MICA to launch a one-credit “spoken word” course this fall. It will enable students to share their stories with each other and learn about identity through lectures, speeches from classmates and other creative exercises.

Additionally, officials plan to create a series of YouTube videos, each featuring a student sharing an experience with harmful language, for the campaign’s upcoming website.

“We really tried to think about how can we keep this on people’s radar,” Martin said.

Amber Simmons, a Stamp Student Union marketing staff member who designed the campaign’s materials, said that, as a former La Plata resident assistant, she realized students don’t often take the time to think about their vocabulary.

“I think it’s so overlooked,” she said. “You don’t realize how certain things you say can be really hurtful. It’s one of those things people aren’t aware of.”

All of this fall’s resident assistants learned about the campaign during their training prior to move-in days, Martin said.

Senior neurobiology and psychology major Ami Jani, a community assistant in Queen Anne’s Hall, said she hopes the campaign helps students become more cognizant of what they say.

“If you see it, it’ll connect in your mind that maybe I should think about what I’m going to say,” she said. “Our policy is, if we see something, we say something. We want to make everyone feel comfortable.”