“They said oh you don’t really have to follow these”.
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By Friday evening, the petition had more than 700 supporters.
“We support Chancellor Cheek in the face of state-level opposition to diversity programs and initiatives on campus”, the petition states. “Ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise”, reads the list. “Managers and supervisors shouldn’t display any endorsement of religion”.
“Holiday parties and celebrations should celebrate and build upon workplace relationships and team morale with no emphasis on religion or culture”, the post stated. “However, we are fully committed to a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive environment”.
Holiday parties should not play games with religious or cultural themes.
The UT Office of Diversity and Inclusion defended itself in another post on its website Thursday and on Twitter, saying the school is not anti-Christmas but is pro-inclusion.
A post added by the office in August encouraged students and professors to use gender-neutral pronouns when people requested them.
Last year, I was all but forced to pass a bill that guaranteed public school teachers legal protection should they become a target for daring to express their faith and wish someone a “Merry Christmas”.
It seems as if Chancellor Cheek and university staff have forgotten where their paychecks come from.
“First let me say that we honor Christmas as one of the celebrations of the season”, Cheek said Thursday in a prepared statement.
“Just because we’re an inclusive, diverse, pluralistic society does not mean we have to eliminate all vestiges of any type of religious identification at all”.
The release pointed out numerous holiday parties and celebrations take place every year on UT’s campus and the school doesn’t monitor these activities. Delores Gresham in calling for the immediate resignation of Chancellor Cheek.
Tennessee’s Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey blasted the university on Facebook, even calling for resignations.
“The General Assembly was assured that no “practice or policy” would be published without Chancellor Cheek’s approval”, Ramsey wrote.
Critics say that this advice is anti-Christian and that the chancellor should resign. He echoed the calls of other lawmakers who have suggested the General Assembly should punish the university for its “political correctness” by siphoning away state funding.
Santa Claus may be coming to town, but he is not welcome at UT Knoxville faculty parties.
“I believe the University’s diversity efforts need to be reigned in and controlled, or changes need to happen at the top”, he told 10News.
Duncan said Cheek called him on Friday and “was very apologetic” over the guidelines.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville) said, “The Office of Diversity is not welcoming to all and hostile to none as they claim”.
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Meanwhile, the fallout continued as a number of other state leaders and others weighed in on Friday. Duncan called the suggestions “extremist”, “ridiculously overboard” and an example of political correctness run amok. “We are in no way trying to dismiss this very important Christian holiday”, he said.
