Florida Professor Bans Students From Using 'Racial Slurs' Like 'Illegal Alien'

Brittany M. Hughes | November 7, 2019
DONATE
Font Size

Alas, the War on Words continues.

According to Campus Reform, a professor at the University of Florida has banned his students from using the terms “illegal alien” or “illegals” to describe…well, illegal aliens, saying such phrases are not “respectful” to the nation’s undocumented populace.

““I ask you not to use terms like ‘illegal immigrants’, ‘illegal aliens’, ‘the illegals,’” anthropology instructor Max Van Oostenburg told students in the accompanying instructions for an online assignment. The mandate included a link to a CNN op-ed claiming that the phrase “illegal immigrant” is a racial slur.

Campus Reform also obtained a copy of Oostenburg’s course syllabus, which states student “will receive 0 points if your posts are disrespectful, offensive, or contains racial/ethnic slurs.”

Unfortunately for Oostenburg, the term “illegal alien” is, in fact, the correct legal term to describe a non-U.S. citizen who's residing in the United States without the proper documents – or, more succinctly, illegally. Likewise, the word “alien,” whether “illegal” or not, simply refers to a person who’s in the United States but whose citizenship or legal residency is tied to another country.

But, as is typical with the left, one should remember never to let facts get in the way of feelings. After all, that's what academia is all about, no?

 

donate