"I didn't do anything wrong," junior Diana Stancy said.

Stancy is the author of "The College Fix" article that discusses the use of "freshman" vs. "first-year" at Elon University.

Elon has been in the spotlight with some national media attention after Stancy wrote the article. "The National Review Online" picked up her article and used the word "bans" in their headline, in relation to the word "freshman." Fox News then used similar language during Fox and Friends Thursday morning, saying that Elon University had banned the term from being used.

But, according to Vice-President of University Communications Dan Anderson, Elon University has not banned the word "freshman," and there is no university policy against using the word.

In "The College Fix" article, published Nov. 19, Stancy interviews Elon's Inclusive Community Well-Being Director Leigh-Anne Royster, who is quoted as saying "the term (freshman) has often been felt to refer to the vulnerableness of young women in college for the first time." The article goes on to say "this change will positively impact future students at Elon and foster progress in inclusivity related to gender."

Royster provided ELN with a statement to clarify her opinion.

"I appreciate the opportunity to point out the context of my comments about the use of the word freshman and to set the record straight. I was asked by a student why using the term first-year students promotes inclusiveness on campus and what the benefits of that change might be, and I responded to those questions. I shared a multitude of reasons why some people might advocate for a change. In understanding the full context of my statements, I think it's important to recognize that one aspect of my work at Elon is regarding bias, harassment and violence prevention. Therefore, that is one lens through which I examine contemporary debates about best practices regarding diversity and inclusion.

My position was taken out of context in this story and in other media reports, so I want to be clear:

  • I never said (nor do I believe) that using the term "freshman" causes rape.

  • I never said the university (or my office) had a policy about this language or that I personally advocated for one.

  • I am not in favor of "banning" words on college campuses.

  • I am not promoting or leading (and have not promoted or led) an effort to change freshman to first-year."

 

Stancy said she chose to write "The College Fix" article after a different article she wrote for "The Pendulum," Elon's student newspaper, was edited.

"This was something that had really impacted me because my story had been changed in 'The Pendulum' from 'freshman' to 'first-year,' and last year that was not the case."

"First-year acting majors debut first show," published on Nov. 12, is the story Stancy is referring to.

"I thought that this was something that hadn't been covered," Stancy said. "I wanted to pursue where this had happened and where this originated."

In her "The College Fix" article, Stancy did not use the word "banned" or "ban" in reference to the word "freshman." When "The National Review Online" published an article with the headline, "University Bans Word 'Freshman' Because It's Sexist and Promotes Rape," Stancy said she was taken out of context.

"I'm not a huge fan of aggregated materials to begin with," Stancy said. "When I found that the headline had been changed, that's when I kind of really noticed that this isn't really right- this is not what I wrote"