Students can pledge to remove the word “retarded” from their daily vocabulary at on-campus events this week as part of the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign.

The Spread the Word to End the Word campaign is part of a larger national movement to stop people from using the word “retard” or “retarded.” Using the word as a negative label can be offensive because it is associated with people who have developmental or learning disabilities.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council Community Service Commission, Special Olympics at UCLA and Best Buddies at UCLA collaborated to create activities to educate students about the “R-word” and its potentially hurtful uses. Events will take place on campus and the Hill Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“(Using the R-word) is disrespectful, offensive and exclusionary to people with developmental disabilities,” Community Service Commissioner Cynthia Wong said. “As students, we may be different, but we can still support each other.”

She added that the event planners think the campaign will not completely remove the word from daily conversations at UCLA, but they hope to educate students about its many negative connotations.

“It’s a lofty ideal to end the use of the word entirely,” Wong said. “What’s more important is to engage students who don’t know (the word’s history).”

Compiled by Jillian Frankel, Bruin contributor.