Western Carolina University housing coordinator warns RAs not to use 'Christmas,' 'Easter'
University says it has no policies banning 'any religious terminology'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Video of a Western Carolina University (WCU) training session has emerged with a "housing coordinator" telling resident advisers (RA) that the school's inclusion goals preclude them from using words like "Christmas" or "Easter."
Through its campus bias tip line, Young America's Foundation obtained footage of the video training where the incident occurred.
The footage, provided to Fox News, shows a man saying how impressed he was by ideas he heard from the participants, before asking a woman about her opinion on the apparently proposed ideas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Love them, very creative," she initially responded. "One thing I do want to let you keep in mind – inclusive excellence is a part of our creed so we can't assume that all of our residents celebrate Easter so when you were actually talking about Easter eggs, I'm like, 'like what Marvel has, like Easter eggs in a movie or something, or in a video game?' So, I thought something along those lines."
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"But you can do – or a scavenger hunt – you can hide things in the building. So, even during the holidays, we can't say Christmas or specific to one religious holiday. We always say 'happy holidays' just because we have to be inclusive here at Western."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement to Fox News, WCU spokesperson Marlon Morgan defended the statements but denied WCU had policies banning terms like Easter.
"This was a conversation among RAs in training and a housing coordinator, who was merely suggesting that we should consider that not everyone observes the same religious holidays, so we need to be inclusive of everyone," Morgan said Tuesday.
"That was all. WCU hasn't banned any religious terminology, and we have no policies to that effect."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CALIFORNIA PROPOSES CURRICULUM WITH CHANTING NAME OF AZTEC GOD WHO ACCEPTS HUMAN SACRIFICE
Morgan didn't provide further comment when asked about whether the "housing coordinator" was an employee of the university. It's unclear when the event took place, but YAF said it happened in the fall, according to its whistleblower.
In another statement, Morgan said: "WCU is committed to a diverse and inclusive community that provides an environment in which all can be successful academically and professionally. During our training for resident assistants, our RAs are reminded to be inclusive of all religious views when they are considering programs for students."
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The incident was the latest to underscore the heightened sensitivity toward religion and other issues in education.
City Journal's Bari Weiss previously reported that a Manhattan-based school warned against using "mom," "dad," and "parents." The school, which offers junior kindergarten through 12th grade instruction, instead encouraged the use of "grown-ups," "folks," "family," or guardians. It also suggests using "caregiver" instead of "nanny/babysitter."