April 8, Thursday -- Jim Leach, chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is bringing his 50-state "civility tour" to UC Davis. Titled "Civility in a Fractured Society," the speech is the first in a series of special programs celebrating the campus's Principles of Community, a 20-year-old statement of values that reject intolerance and set the standard for an environment of civility and respect. Leach, a former member of Congress, launched his tour last November "to suggest that Americans would be wise to tone down the words we use to define differences between fellow citizens and adversaries, actual or potential, around the world." At the time, he explained, "If we don't try to understand and respect others, how can we expect them to respect us, our values and way of life?" The talk follows the recent discovery of swastikas on the Davis campus and graffiti on the entrance to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center. Free and open to the public, the talk is set for 11 a.m. in Freeborn Hall. Leach is available to meet with members of the media from noon to 12:30 p.m.