In this forum last year, I (Dean of Students, Mike Curme) wrote about the significant tragedies, such as the senseless massacre in Orlando, that we experienced over the summer of 2016, and the challenges we were facing as a nation. I don’t know whether it was hope or naivete that made me think my remarks this year would be very different, but the list of horrific events -- from Charlottesville to Spain, and beyond -- is unimaginably vast again this summer.

From my perspective, we are entering the academic year with an almost unprecedented amount of collective anxiety and uncertainty in our world. Although there is much that is outside of our control, together we do have a great deal of control over our Miami community. Our mission is to help our students find purpose in life by helping them extract the greatest possible benefit from the unique and wonderful Miami experience. Fundamental to this goal is a community in which every student can develop a true sense of belonging. Every student must enter (or return to) Miami with the understanding that they are entering such a community, and must understand that individually, it is their actions and their choices that collectively determine the quality of our community. We are Miami. 

Miami's Code of Love and Honor reflects our institutional values and our goal to create a safe and welcoming community for all students. While we cannot eliminate or prevent acts of ignorance, intolerance, and hate at home or abroad, we can commit to making our campus the most welcoming community any of our students will experience in their lifetimes; to this goal we must aspire. Please talk with your loved one about your family's values; even better, reflect on the overlap between your values and Miami's values. Talk with your loved one about respecting the rights of others; the importance of honesty and integrity; the role of character as well as intellect. Remind them to make the most of their time at Miami by embracing a diversity of people, ideas, and experiences, for this is the most important element of personal growth and productive change. 

President Crawford further discusses the need for more Love and Honor in the world in a series of reflections on our Code of Love and Honor. In these reflections, he writes:

"We must aim to become a model of how to organize our community to reflect a healthy society that practices civil discourse. We don't have to agree, but we have to be able to have conversations where we truly listen, with respect and a genuine desire to understand."

Particularly in light of the events of the summer and what is likely to be a fall semester filled with numerous concerning domestic and international events that challenge our global and domestic sense of community, please remind your student of the importance of openness, grace, civility, and empathy. Encourage them to think about and embrace what it means to say “I am Miami.”