Words matter. Through the ideas they convey, they have the power to heal, to hurt, to inspire, to affect what we remember, and to influence our understanding of the world.

There is a classic study by psychology professor Elizabeth Loftus that makes the point. Participants watched the same video from a driver’s education class that involved a traffic accident and then were asked to estimate how fast the car was going when it contacted / hit / bumped / collided / smashed the other car, with a different verb given to different participants. The critical finding: Different verbs led to different speed estimates, indicating that the word in the prompt impacted their responses.

Already this semester, we have seen examples of how free expression shows up on our campus. As a university, we remain steadfast and strong advocates for free speech, even if we sometimes find the expressions themselves reprehensible. Protecting that right to speech within the appropriate time, space and manner is central to our values and to the work of higher education.

But the freedom in freedom of speech also denotes a choice in how thoughts are conveyed, a choice in which words are used. And already this semester we have seen examples where those words have hurt some in our community.

In our recent town halls, we talked a lot about how we work — our norms and expectations for each other. The picture above presents a synopsis of themes that came up as we talked as a community, about our community — respect, value, belonging, civility, trust. These themes are also part of our institutional values and are incorporated into the Student Values Statement adopted by the Student Government Association, as well as in our Statement of Respect & Responsibility found on this same page.

And so, as we think about how we share ideas, how we convey our thoughts, how we speak, I invite us all to take a moment to consider choosing words in ways that reflect the spirit and values of our community. We all benefit from the freedom to express our views, and with that comes the responsibility to do so thoughtfully and respectfully. When practicing free speech, we all need to remember that, as important as it is to say what you mean, it is equally important to say it in such a way that others will hear and understand, even if they don’t agree. In other words, in practicing free speech, we are likely to bump into one another at times, but no one needs a full-on collision to make their point.

Here's the latest from around the Beat:

Thank you to all who have nominated yourselves or a peer for the Staff Advisory Council. There has been tremendous interest, with nearly 150 nominations received thus far. The nomination portal is open through Oct. 17. We will start reaching out to chat more with those nominated as we form the council. We will also create focus groups so that we can accommodate as many interested colleagues as possible.

We are busy curating ideas from the One Idea, One Slide Summit for foundation support, such as cross-college research collaborations, faculty industry internships, research pivot initiatives, classroom design and teaching tools, student support programming and critical infrastructure improvements, among others.

One idea that came up in the town halls was to create additional opportunities for our community to gather. In addition to the weekly Prez Run (7 a.m. Thursdays at Mentor’s Circle), here are two additional events:

• Grab your walking shoes: In celebration of Walktober, join me for a 1-mile walk around campus, starting at noon on Oct. 21 at Mentor’s Circle. All are welcome.
• Calling all crafters: I am delighted to host a Craft Circle at 7-8:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Wright House (47 Kent Way). Bring a craft project you want to work on and enjoy community and tea and cookies. Needles and yarn will be available if you want to learn to knit or crochet. All are welcome.

Save the date: The fall General Faculty meeting is scheduled for Dec. 10. This is Reading Day, chosen to avoid class conflicts. While faculty are the primary audience, staff and students are welcome, as well. I am happy to host a reception after as a way to recognize and thank you for all of your work and effort throughout the semester. More details will be forthcoming.