Blog readers will recall our two postings on Stanford's Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative.* The list of words said to be harmful appeared on a publicly-available website until it began to circulate on social media and was subject to ridicule. Stanford then hid the list behind a password but it was too late. It had already been captured and was made available elsewhere on the web. Now it is reported in Inside Higher Ed that Stanford has taken it down, even on the password-protected site.**
These episodes are not harmless. Stanford with its large endowment and reputation can withstand a bit of ridicule. But as these stories circulate, they damage higher education more generally, especially at more marginal institutions. In California, for example, enrollment at community colleges has dropped significantly. Voters in San Francisco, typically liberally oriented, recently rejected a parcel tax to assist their city college which has been floundering financially.*** Note that UC has put emphasis on transfer students from community colleges as an alternative pathway for undergraduates.
Now, USC - another institution that like Stanford can "afford" ridicule over verbiage - seems to have jumped into Stanford's role. This time, it appears that the word "field" is so harmful that an entire program must be renamed:
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Click on image to clarify |
Of course, the item above has begun to circulate just as Stanford's did. So here's a modest proposal. For many years, we have required Environmental Impact Statements before projects can be built. We now seem to be in great need of Ridicule Impact Statements in higher ed. There are straws in the wind that public opinion - not just in "red" states and not just among viewers of Fox News - is growing impatient with these types of events.****
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*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2022/12/words-to-wise-are-still-not-coming-from.html; https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2022/12/words-to-wise-didnt-come-from-stanford.html.
**https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2023/01/11/amid-backlash-stanford-removes-harmful-language-list.
****https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-01-11/hamline-univeristy-art-history-teacher-firing-mohammad-image. There is also a shift within academia itself. See: https://retractionwatch.com/2023/01/05/paper-on-writing-centers-as-neocolonial-tools-is-retracted/.
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https://ia904704.us.archive.org/3/items/new-year-outlook/ridicule.mp3
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