Across campus, kindness takes root through Be Kind, Bear Down
By Kendall Sternberg, University Communications
Handwritten messages cover a wall in the Student Union Memorial Center, where passersby had an opportunity to jot down notes of kindness and recognize others for small, meaningful acts.
A handwritten note on a wall, a bingo card shared among colleagues, a message scrawled across a golf cart windshield that makes someone smile on their morning walk – across campus, small moments like these are adding up as part of a growing effort known as Be Kind, Bear Down.
What began as an idea shared by Andrea Romero, vice provost for Faculty Affairs, and Adriana Grijalva, president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, has grown into Be Kind, Bear Down – a collaboration with Ben's Bells, an organization promoting intentional kindness.
The Be Kind, Bear Down advisory team worked with Jeannette Maré, founder of Ben's Bells and director of the Science of Kindness Community Collective, to adapt existing programs into a model that units across campus can share and shape.
Tara Chandler
"It was really important for us that it wasn't just coming from one group," said Tara Chandler, assistant director of mentoring initiatives in Faculty Affairs. "We wanted it to be widespread. Everyone can be involved with this."
That approach is already showing up in creative ways across campus.
"Kindness can be as simple as just thanking somebody or talking about something that happened that you appreciated," said Marilyn Taylor, special advisor in Human Resources who, along with Chandler, is on the committee to run the program.
In the Student Union Memorial Center, a large display invites students to share notes of appreciation, creating a visible reminder of kindness in action. In the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, students returned in January to find welcoming messages lining the walls – a simple gesture meant to make them feel good and energized to come back.
Other areas have created kindness bingo cards, newsletters and even book clubs centered on connection and community.
Marilyn Taylor
"There are lots of different ways to participate in Be Kind, Bear Down," Chandler said. "It's about making kindness an integral part of what we do every day, not just something we think about peripherally."
Kindness ambassadors
A key part of that effort is a network of volunteer kindness ambassadors – faculty, staff and students who participate in the initiative. Fueled with ideas from the Be Kind, Bear Down Advisory Council, ambassadors bring acts of kindness into their departments, classrooms and daily routines.
"Their role is to take that information and see what works best within their unit," said Taylor.
A bulletin board in the College of Pharmacy offers a starting point to spread kindness to students, faculty and staff.
Ambassadors share ideas through informal drop-in sessions and conversations with colleagues, often sparking collaborations that extend beyond a single department. For many, the experience is as much about building relationships as it is about organizing activities.
"I sat down with one ambassador who was so excited because she met three other people with ideas," Taylor said. "Now they're going to get together. Just connecting like that makes a difference."
Some of the most meaningful moments are also the simplest.
For Taylor, it's a campus golf cart with "Be Kind, Bear Down" written across its windshield. "Every time I walk by, it just makes me feel good," she said. "It was something so simple to do, but anybody who sees it – it puts a smile on your face."
As more individuals and units get involved, the effort continues to grow organically, supported by collaboration and a shared interest in intentional kindness.
"I think it's really telling that so many different units want to be a part of this," Chandler said. "It's not just one office. It's a lot of different people coming together."
In those everyday moments – notes, conversations, small acts of care – the culture of kindness continues to take shape, one interaction at a time.
If you are interested in becoming a kindness ambassador or learning more about the initiative, please contact Marilyn Taylor, and follow the latest updates from Be Kind, Bear Down on Instagram and LinkedIn.