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CUNY: Don’t Call Students ‘Mr., Mrs. or Ms.’ Because That’s Maybe Disrespectful
National Review ^ | 01/28/2015 | Katherine Timpf

Posted on 01/28/2015 6:24:18 AM PST by SeekAndFind

The Graduate Center of the City University of New York issued a memo advising staff not to address any students as “Mr., Mrs. or Ms.” beginning this spring because some could find it disrespectful.

The policy is intended to “ensure a respectful, welcoming and gender-inclusive learning environment . . . and to accommodate properly the diverse population of current and prospective students,” according to the memo, signed by interim provost Louise Lennihan.

School spokeswoman (wait – can I call her that?) Tanya Domi said the initiative was also part of the school’s “working within a regulatory framework to comply with Title IX legal principles,” which forbid discrimination based on sex at any institution receiving federal funding.

(Yes, the viewpoint that calling someone “Mr.” could ever be considered a violation of federal policy is terrifying.)

But attorney and Title IX consultant Saundra Schuster insisted to the Wall Street Journal that CUNY’s new policy isn’t necessary for complying with the law. ”They are not mandated to do this,” she said.

That isn’t stopping CUNY from requiring it. Linguistics professor Juliette Blevins told the Journal: “My interpretation was that I was being asked to adhere to this policy, as were the professors who received the letter.”

The idea behind all of it is to protect students who identify as a different gender from what their professors might expect.

Of course, all students have always had the ability to tell the school how they prefer to be addressed. It is not clear what the procedure will be for any student who does prefer to be addressed as Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. – especially considering that these salutations have traditionally been seen as a sign of respect and not the opposite.

— Katherine Timpf is a reporter at National Review Online.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cuny; disrespect; mister; mrs
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To: SeekAndFind
Don’t Call Students ‘Mr., Mrs. or Ms.’ Because That’s Maybe Disrespectful...

Or maybe not. What a load of Horse Crap!

21 posted on 01/28/2015 6:46:55 AM PST by rhubarbk (Go Ted Go!)
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To: SeekAndFind

You can call me Ray, You can call me Jay...............


22 posted on 01/28/2015 6:47:11 AM PST by showme_the_Glory ((ILLEGAL: prohibited by law. ALIEN: Owing political allegiance to another country or government))
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To: SeekAndFind

I prefer Professor Ermey’s endearments of “jackwagon” and “maggot”.


23 posted on 01/28/2015 6:47:55 AM PST by Rinnwald
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To: SeekAndFind

Eventually, the only acceptable address for another person will be “Citizen” or “Comrade”.


24 posted on 01/28/2015 6:52:49 AM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: SeekAndFind

In turn students should not be required anyone on staff a CUNY Professor because... that would just be a lie.


25 posted on 01/28/2015 6:54:33 AM PST by PoloSec ( Believe the Gospel: how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again)
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To: SeekAndFind

I suspect the NR has missed the most problematic conflict—those students who don’t identify as a Mr., Ms., Mrs. or Miss.

There’s a reason sites like Facebook offer something like a gazillion ‘gender’ options.


26 posted on 01/28/2015 7:08:03 AM PST by 9YearLurker
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To: deoetdoctrinae
And here's to you... uhh, ummm, ah, well, uhh

"Citizen Robinson".

You're welcome.

27 posted on 01/28/2015 7:08:08 AM PST by Romulus
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To: SeekAndFind
School spokeswoman (wait – can I call her that?)

The new, all-inclusive, neutral term is spokesit. You know, like pundit.

28 posted on 01/28/2015 7:10:13 AM PST by Hoffer Rand (Bear His image. Bring His message. Be the Church.)
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To: KosmicKitty

“Comrade”


29 posted on 01/28/2015 7:13:41 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: SeekAndFind

As a gesture of respect for their academic preparedness, I hereby suggest addressing them as “Dumbo”.


30 posted on 01/28/2015 7:15:27 AM PST by GladesGuru (Islam Delenda Est. Because of what Islam is - and because of what Muslims do.)
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To: SeekAndFind

It is insanity, but don’t dismiss it. This is their vision for the entire world, not just the college.


31 posted on 01/28/2015 7:18:03 AM PST by I want the USA back (Media: completely irresponsible. Complicit in the destruction of this country.)
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To: SeekAndFind

As a gesture of respect for their academic preparedness, I hereby suggest addressing them as “Dumbo”.


32 posted on 01/28/2015 7:19:16 AM PST by GladesGuru (Islam Delenda Est. Because of what Islam is - and because of what Muslims do.)
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To: BenLurkin

Yep - comrade is the most acceptable


33 posted on 01/28/2015 8:14:06 AM PST by KosmicKitty (Liberals claim to want to hear other views, but then are shocked to discover there are other views)
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To: SeekAndFind

My first college year I had a business class with a professor who always called each student “mister” or “miss.” I found it very respectful and admired him greatly. Hard to believe he would now probably charged with a hate crime and thrown in jail.


34 posted on 01/28/2015 8:32:47 AM PST by Organic Panic
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To: Organic Panic

Just as a mind experiment.... If Mr. Miss or Mrs. are disrespectful, what term should be used to refer to someone that won’t offend?


35 posted on 01/28/2015 8:39:23 AM PST by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
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To: deoetdoctrinae
Billy Paul: ME AND MRS ________ JONES.
36 posted on 01/28/2015 8:40:45 AM PST by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
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To: GladesGuru

Yeah, it’s funny how a prof would say this,
because most of them require being addressed as
“professor” or “doctor”...


37 posted on 01/28/2015 8:42:35 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: yldstrk

“We say Grace. We say Maam. If you’re not into that, we don’t give a d**M.” Hank Jr.


38 posted on 01/28/2015 8:45:13 AM PST by The Public Eye
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To: SeekAndFind

Democracy is getting people to agree with you. Communism is making people afraid to disagree.


39 posted on 01/28/2015 8:47:12 AM PST by GOPJ (Democracy is getting people to agree with you. Communism is making people afraid to disagree.)
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To: Organic Panic
My first college year I had a business class with a professor who always called each student “mister” or “miss.” I found it very respectful and admired him greatly. Hard to believe he would now probably charged with a hate crime and thrown in jail.

My first accounting professor, a former Drill Instructor, always accented the second syllable of 'mister' with a lightly breathed 'd' at the end so that you knew you were a 'turd'. You did you best to avoid his ire.

40 posted on 01/28/2015 9:07:23 AM PST by pikachu (After Monday and Tuesday, even the calender goes W T F !)
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