Colorado State University’s “Inclusive Communications Task Force” has a warning for students: using words like “American” and “America” may not make people “feel welcomed, respected, and valued.”
“Ghetto,” “cakewalk,” and “birth defect” also made the list of words that needed a “best practices guide” for life at the school.
“The document is intended to serve as a best practices guide,” the task force’s website states. “It is provided and will be updated with the intention of sharing meaningful and useful language suggestions. It is worth noting that language is always evolving so this document will be updated periodically. What this document is not: This is not an official policy or required practice. This document is intended as a resource to help our campus community reflect our Principles of Community particularly inclusion, respect, and social justice.”
Campus Reform spoke to one student on Wednesday who pointed out the unintended consequences of the language guide.
“What about the term ’African-American’?” third-year student Aaron Allen asked the educational watchdog. “Should I not use that term to describe myself?”
Azhar Majeed, spokesman for the free speech advocacy nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, added that CSU’s guide “certainly does encompass a great deal of everyday, common expressions, and it is possible that the speech of some students will be chilled if they are confused into thinking that the document represents official policy of the university.”
Campus Reform’s request for comment by CSU for comment was not returned by the time of publication.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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