Colleges Struggle to Make Christmas Politically Correct

Legal Insurrection

“ensure that office celebrations are not indirectly celebrating religious holidays”

 "Having successfully ruined the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving, academia is now moving on to Christmas.

"Campus Reform reports:

Universities strive for ‘Christmas’-free campuses

As another Christmas quickly approaches, colleges across the country are issuing their annual guidelines on how to make the season as inclusive as possible.

At the University of California, Irvine, for instance, individual departments are encouraged to “focus on celebrating a special occasion, instead of a specific holiday,” suggesting that they have a “year-end celebration” or celebrate “seasonal themes such as fall, winter, or spring.”

The California university also requests that academic departments “ensure that office celebrations are not indirectly celebrating religious holidays,” suggesting that they display “diverse symbols representing a variety of faith traditions along with secular ones.”

The State University of New York, Brockport has issued similar guidance on “culturally sensitive holiday decorations,” even advising employees to “consider a grab bag instead of a ‘Secret Santa’ gift exchange.”

“Keep decorations general and nonspecific to any religion. Create a winter theme with lights and color rather than religious icons, or include decorations from all the cultural traditions represented in your department,” the guidelines add, saying the “holiday season should be considered an opportunity to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and inclusivity.”

Similarly, Ohio University put out a guide on “holiday expenditures,” noting that decorations cannot be purchased with university funds, but that any decorations “displayed in public areas” should “be secular in nature.”  Emphases in the original. TD 

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