Academia, Free Speech

“Pronoun Policing”: University of Florida Pushes Back on Offer of Academic Credit for Pronoun Listing

There is an interesting controversy brewing at the University of Florida after Professor Autumn McLellan offered academic credit for those who list their pronouns in class. The University has pushed back that “pronoun policing” is not a valid basis for academic credit.

The controversy arose after conservative groups and sites reported on the offer.

Professor McLellan sent out a notice to class that:

“Guessing or assuming a person’s pronouns can lead to uncomfortable and unwelcoming environments. Displaying your pronouns helps others know how to address you respectfully, even if you feel like your pronouns should be ‘obvious’ to other people.”

McLellan teaches sociology and criminology with stated interests “Collective Action/Social Movements” and “Stratification/Inequality.”

Many faculty and students object to requirements or pressure to use alternative pronouns on political, religious, or biological grounds.

The University itself was quick to push back.

Associate Vice President for Communications Steve Orlando issued a statement that  “Academic credit is to be awarded for academic work, and policing pronouns doesn’t cut it. The administration has made this clear.”

What is also clear to these students is that this is what the professor expects from them.

Granting academic benefits for engaging in designated speech raises a host of concerns. For many students, listing pronouns is an important statement with profound meaning. For some, it is a recognition of tolerance and diversity at the university. For others, it is a concession to a growing orthodoxy over gender identity.

It is not clear whether McLellan has withdrawn the offer. Students were given until Friday, Jan. 19 to update their profile.

N.B.: I have reached out to Professor McLellan for a statement on the controversy.

 

56 thoughts on ““Pronoun Policing”: University of Florida Pushes Back on Offer of Academic Credit for Pronoun Listing”

  2. Look down there.

    See what you have.

    P—- / V—–

    “There’s yer pronouns,” forever and no matter how many absurd and contraindicated surgeries you have as acts of extreme and unacceptable self-indulgence in order to dupe and defraud the people around you.

    Freaks and perversions of nature must adapt to their conditions of abnormality and not expect to possess any power to change the world for the benefit, nay, dominion of the bizarre and the anomalous.

    The next time Professor Clown speaks in this fashion, he should be Drawn and Quartered for the insidious and egregious act of poisoning the minds of innocent young Americans, oh, and those, such as they are, of the ubiquitous young illegal aliens who are incoherently misplaced by admissions affirmative action on college campuses throughout America seeking artificial status through education welfare, grade inflation, and general erudition fraud.

  3. ‘They/them’ can bite me. I will treat everyone with basic human dignity; I will decidedly not indulge delusions or temper tantrums. I will also not embrace Marxism.

    As far as I’m concerned, the modern left, replete with commandments and dogma, and the threat of hellfire and crusaders if we don’t abide, are the medieval Catholic church (the irony is too thick to cut, but then again the modern left is generally very stupid). The rest of us are heretics to them. Thankfully we live in an age when we already know better, and we can tell them to get bent.

    1. The rest of us are heretics to them. Thankfully we live in an age when we already know better, and we can tell them to get bent.

      Pro-tip: James, you’re still a heretic. Surveying global events since the 20 century, and clearly these past 2 decades, it is apparent we do not know better. Western Civilization, and certainly Americans, are prideful, slothful, gluttonous, self-absorbed pagans. I’m not complaining mind you. If you were all healthy and fit as an ox, I’d be out of a career. So thank you for being a heretic. Takes one to know one

      😜

      Pope to priests of Rome: We are in a missionary land

      The meeting, which lasted about three hours, was reported in a statement from the Diocese of Rome to have taken place “with an open and familiar dialogue in cordial atmosphere.”….Pope Francis spoke about the necessity of evangelization in a pagan context, emphasizing the importance of bearing credible witness.

      https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-01/pope-francis-audience-clergy-rome-diocese-mission-lands.html

      1. Estovir,
        Now there is a good New Years Resolution to promote: The Anti-Heretic Diet, Fitness and Patriot plan. Eat better, exercise and get to the range and print tiny groups!

  4. Just when I did not think it was possible for woke leftists to prove themselves as absurd as they already have, they prove me wrong.

  5. Displaying your pronouns helps others know how to address you respectfully

    False. Addressing a person, the pronoun is always “you”. The pronouns people list are always third-person. So what they’re trying to do is control how we refer to them when we’re not even in their presence. The professor can’t even get that one basic fact right. Sounds like a low-IQ person. Here is confirmation:

    McLellan’s . . . stated interests are “Collective Action/Social Movements” and “Stratification/Inequality.”

    In other words, garbage.

    1. “‘McLellan’s . . . stated interests are ‘Collective Action/Social Movements’ and ‘Stratification/Inequality.’”
      “In other words, garbage.”

      (in other words, there you have it: a professor not interested in the realm of “sociology” and “criminology,” -but rather, a professor self-interested in a narrowed,contrived and self-created course presentation, -with abstract focus on how to bring down a society that you feel marginalized in (using “Collective Action/Social Movements” to address “Stratification/Inequality.”)
      Additionally, there may be rewards in professorship “feedback” ratings from students, who will appreciate the professor giving them the opportunity to engage in their Disney characterization/fantasies and alter-egos without recrimination, at least while in the classroom. …wonder what the final exam will be about…..(would love to audit this class for non-credit)

    2. As near as I can tell, the whole point of announcing pronouns is to signal to others (or more properly get other to signal for you) what one’s sexual preferences are – all very self absorbed narcissism.

      Out of my hearing, people can call me what ever they want – just not late for dinner.

    3. It’s also an attempt to normalise the delusional. If everyone has to state their pronouns then those few who wish to do so because they believe they are something they are not are given cover.

    1. Yes. That was 1973. When I went to law school twenty years later, it was still the custom that the professor addressed all students that way. It was also expected that, in class when one student referred to a fellow student, the student would likewise refer to the fellow student that way. This is considered good training for being a lawyer. I believe that’s still the custom, although I’d have to verify that with someone who is presently a law student.

      1. Same here, and it was true when my son went to law school between 2012 – 2015. But, I’ve noticed in the last few years the leadership of the County bar association, and the last couple of Presiding Judges have started pushing DEI, with the State Bar pushing it in continuing education courses.

  7. Bravo to the University, but a professor who has that bias will continue to grade and evaluate students on non-academic, indeed woke ideological, criteria. The assistant instructional professor must go. He/she has demonstrated intolerance.

  8. I recently enrolled in a university-level gardening course and the head facilitator signs off as She/Her. My question is, “who cares how you identify” because it has nothing to do with the course.
    Like all the rest of them, she’s just another narcissist who thinks everyone is interested in her entire life. Surprise, I am not.

  9. This professor is an idiot and indoctrinator and should be removed from the classroom. I would not allow him to even be in charge of a dog obedience class much less a college course.

    1. “I would not allow him to even be in charge of a dog obedience class . . .”

      Oh, please do let him. The fur would fly:

      McLellan (addressing the rest of the class): “Fido the German Shepherd now self-identifies as a tabby cat. Proceed accordingly.”

  10. I suppose you get credit if you remember your name daily, or show up daily. Is this another participation trophy? I agree with the Associate Vice President that you actually have to do something for academic credit. Usually something appropriate
    Of course listing yourself as something other than your sex at birth is a good means of the 1st step in making a case that these people have a mental health disorder. It might also be a means to deny them firearms as a high risk individual in light of the propensity recently of gender fluid people shooting up schools and other venues.
    These individuals are mentally ill. The only decision to make is how severe.
    If treated with appropriate counseling, psychiatric and psychologic care the vast majority will clear this problem by 20.
    There is continuing evidence that surgery (mutilation), puberty blockers, and other such drugs fail to make any significant change for the better in these people. That’s why this nonsense has come to a screeching halt in Europe.
    The worst pathology is in those who push this nonsense in schools, medicine, and mental health. Those all the people that truly should be committed to institutions. They profess Ideology over effective therapy and humanity.

  11. The blatant absurdity of this is apparent to any rational human being. She should be fired and replaced by someone who grades students based on merit – correct answers to course content, not adherence to social ideology.

  12. In reality, the professor does not have authority to offer an academic credit outside of the mission, goals and objectives of the course, unless her (she–it) action is approved by the administration. I would love to be on the accreditation team that evaluates that program. What is the cost of a credit hour of education these days? 100-400 per hour? More? Perhaps when the graduate is looking for employment in the real world, they could get credit for putting their name on their paper and a gold star as a bonus.

    2. Please keep displaying your finely tuned sense of humor. Those of us who have one are, I pray, still the majority.

    3. That’s how we Happy Warriors fight the loony left; with humor! Well played sir.

  15. University was once thought to educate, enlighten and prepare young men and women with an advantage to take on life.

    Now they can finally demand their horse’s behind’s or maybe furries.

  17. “Guessing or assuming a person’s pronouns can lead to uncomfortable . . .”

    Meanwhile, trying to remember the pronouns du jour causes vertigo. Which, of course, is one of the goals.

  18. How far our education system has fallen? Tenure must go! How many college graduates are there who actually had a professor in class? Most public universities use Assistant professors and grad assistants. What a scam!

    1. The website says, “assistant instructional professor,” so probably no tenure. One rung above adjunct, IMO.

Comments are closed.