The N&R takes a look at UNC’s policy of ‘gender inclusive language,’ i.e. ‘first year’ vs. ‘freshman’:
Kate Davis Jones, a junior at UNC-CH, said the attention UNC got over the issue was more than she expected. There has been a lot of negative attention and people disparaging the concept of political correctness, she said.
“It’s all been positive with my peers and the people that I talk to, but there has been a lot of incredulity about a lot of the negative press it’s gotten,” said Jones, an organizer with the campus group, Students for a Democratic Society.
Jones said she doesn’t see a downside to changing the language, and it’s wonderful that the university has taken a step to make sure everyone feels included.
Jones said the criticism may be related to what she called other more recent left-leaning activism on campus, such as that against tuition increases and some UNC students’ attempts to implement “gender nonspecific” housing on campus, which would give students the option to room together regardless of sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity.
Not sure what ‘gender expression’ is; here’s one definition.
