Lincoln, Neb. has been given a fantastic opportunity in hosting the Special Olympics USA National Games. Already the outpouring of volunteer support has been phenomenal, even surprising the community from which it sprouted.

To show our best face possible, however, there are always areas which need work.

The first section in the Media Handbook distributed to members of the press by the Special Olympics organization focuses on proper language guidelines for those of us covering the event. Special Olympics has updated its terminology to use terms more acceptable to their athletes – “people-first language” which avoids such words as “suffering,” “afflicted” or “victim” when reffering to individuals with intellectual disabilities.

In order to preserve a friendly, respectful image, all students should do their parts to avoid any language which could be deemed offensive.

This might seem like an obvious statement, but any student should be aware that offensive language is everywhere in casual conversation on college campuses, be it racist, homophobic or derogatory towards those with intellectual disabilities; common pejoratives don’t need to be listed here, but they are (unfortunately) common enough that it shouldn’t be too hard to guess.

Sensitivity and maturity are not temporary cloaks to be worn in public – they are life choices. This editorial doesn’t exist to warn immature students to hold their tongues for the duration of the Special Olympics; instead we urge everyone at UNL to take an active part in preventing the dissemination and acceptance of hateful, hurtful language on a long-term scale. What’s needed for a better tomorrow is not blind censorhip but thought, compassion and understanding. And that’s never a bad thing.