By Autumn Walden, Editor, ̽»¨Â¥ Connect, Content Strategy Manager, ̽»¨Â¥
Editor's Note: This article covers one of the top-voted sessions of the 110th ̽»¨Â¥ Annual Meeting, from the over 400 attendees who responded to our post-conference survey. I had initially left it in the cutting room due to the volume of coverage, so I'm happy to be able to share this with readers.
I slipped into Tina Miller’s session on “,” and it was packed enough to have me cross-legged on the floor near the front. It was clear I was in the right session for learning ways to simplify my writing. What followed was an energizing, funny, and deeply practical crash course in how writing more clearly isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a critical equity tool.
Miller, Senior Associate Registrar at the University of Washington, Seattle, who has spent more than 30 years working in higher education administration, made the case that helps students understand what they need to do, when they need to do it. “You write it, they understand, they do it—boom, boom, boom. Hallelujah,” she said.
But plain language isn’t just about smoother workflows or fewer confused emails—it’s about access, equity, and student success. Miller grounded her advice in a handful of educational and social theories, including —the idea that knowing the “right” language opens doors to resources—and , which refers to how institutions can unintentionally reinforce inequality by favoring those who already understand the system.
The Real-World Cost of Jargon
“We use jargon like my favorite one, ‘matriculated.’ Who's more likely to know these terms?” Miller asked. “Is it going to be your first generation students? Is it going to be your students for whom maybe English is not their first language, or is it going to be the students whose parents went to college? How's a student going to feel when they don't understand this jargon?”
Miller shared sobering examples showing that these language barriers create minor speed bumps for some, full derailments for others.
A graduate admissions site that required a 15th-grade reading level, while expecting a TOEFL score equivalent to a 12th-grade level.
A study found that 70% of students (with and without disabilities) couldn’t complete simple website tasks due to confusing language and unfamiliar terminology.
So, what can we do about it? She didn’t let us off the hook with the common excuse of “I don’t have time to rewrite everything.” Instead, Miller encouraged attendees:
Tackle one piece at a time.
Start with that email you know always generates follow-up questions.
Look for opportunities when you're already updating something due to a policy change.
Plain Language Is Not Dumbed Down
One of the most meaningful moments of the session came when Miller addressed internal resistance, from within ourselves and our institutions. “If I write in a basic way, what are the people around me going to think of me? If I write in plain language, what are my dean, my provost, or these faculty going to think of me?” she said. “But plain language is not dumbed-down writing. It’s skilled, effective writing. It’s using what’s best for the task at hand.”
Quick Tips for Writing Plainly
Miller’s session was packed with practical strategies, such as:
Know your audience. Ask: What do they need to do? What do they need to know to do it? What might they not know?
Limit the scope of each message. Don’t cram reminders, policy updates, and picnic invites into one email.
Lead with the essentials. State the who, what, and when in the first paragraph—especially for mobile readers.
Use visual structure. Break up walls of text. Use headings, bullet points, and white space. Avoid formatting overload (no “ransom-note” emails).
Activate your words. Avoid passive voice and use active, direct phrasing. Say “students must register,” not “registration must be completed.” (This one is tricky, as many of us are "trained" in using passive voice from academic writing and literature.)
Define necessary jargon. Or better yet, create a student-friendly glossary like Everett Community College's catalog glossary, or Middle Georgia State University’s “college jargon” page.
Tools to Get You Started: Miller recommended readability checkers (built into Microsoft Word or freely available online), student feedback, and even AI tools like which helps convert dense copy into clearer, more direct language.
Reputation vs. Reality
To those worried about dumbing down the institutional brand, remember that plain language is a tool for getting people where they need to go. For today’s diverse student and adult populations, that means rethinking how we write, not just what we say.