The carillon bell system atop the Memorial Union and trumpets below will summon the campus to the Quad at noon today to reaffirm its commitment to community.

And when "A Call to Community" concludes, organizers hope to have inspired personal responsibility for contributing to an inclusive and respectful campus and to have collected pledges affirming community values.

The event will focus on how faculty, staff and students - individually and collectively - can help foster appreciation for diverse cultures and backgrounds, different perspectives and civility.

Individuals and campus organizations will be encouraged to sign pledges affirming the values expressed in the campus's Principles of Community and identifying actions they will take to fulfill their pledge. And on butcher paper, they will be invited to express what community means to them.

Emceed by two students, the event will include brief remarks from Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, President Tiqula Bledsoe of the Associated Students of UC Davis, a spokesperson for the Graduate Student Association and other representatives of the campus community and the city of Davis; a poetic reading; and a ceremonial tree planting.

The event also will launch a hate-free campaign and is one of several initiatives to address issues of campus climate following this year's incidents of violence and bias, incivility and tensions over the contested student election.

"'A Call to Community is not going to solve all of the campus's problems, but it will help to bring issues to the forefront," student Erica Alfaro, one of the coordinators of the hate-free campaign, is quoted as saying in a California Aggie story this week.

Students also will be able to sign up to help with other events related to the hate-free campaign and to learn about campus and city of Davis resources that foster community or respond to related problems.

The symbol being used for today's event and the campaign, which will be ongoing, is a hand with a curl in its palm. According to organizers, Native Americans recognize it as a sign of peace, strength and friendship that also represents a warm and inviting environment.

Also chosen for their symbolic value were the three crape myrtle trees to be planted on the western edge of the Quad. Hardy trees with pink, lavender and white blooms, they will stand as a living testament to the campus's appreciation of a diverse community, the event's organizers said. Representatives of the first student organizations to sign the group pledges will participate in their planting.

As part of the hate-free campaign, buttons with the slogans "Hate stops with me" and "Respect starts with me" will be distributed at today's event. Students, staff and faculty working on the fledgling campaign plan to develop posters and to have a presence during fall orientation activities.

The campaign is being organized by a subcommittee of the Task Force on Campus Community, which is expected to make its report today.

Following "A Call to Community," volunteers will distribute packages to campus departments to provide information and encourage discussion of campus community. With a cover letter from the chancellor and campaign organizer Alfaro, the packages will include:

• a student government resolution and other statements in support of the goals of the event and the hate-free campaign;
• a summary of initiatives related to campus community that are now underway or being planned for summer and fall implementation;
• information on the Campus Violence Prevention Program, which provides educational programming and support services for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and hate crimes;
• information on other campus and city of Davis programs that foster community or respond to related problems;
• and pledge cards like those to be signed at "A Call to Community."