Elon University has not banned the word "freshman," and there is no university policy against using the word, according to Vice-President of University Communications Dan Anderson.
Elon has been in the spotlight with some national media attention after junior Diana Stancy wrote an article for The College Fix, a conservative-leaning website by students for students. The National Review Online picked up Stancy's article and used the word "banned" 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.
In The College Fix article, published Nov. 19, Stancy interviews Elon's Inclusive Community Well-Being Director Leigh-Anne Royster, who, according to the article, says "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."
Anderson says there was never a change.
"We use the word 'freshman' interchangeably," Anderson said.
According to Anderson, the university uses the term in news releases and on the official Elon website, but he says "first-year" applies to more students than the term "freshman."
"What's happened in more recent years is that colleges became broader in terms of who came to school there," Anderson said. "That term seemed to be a little out of place for these other types of students."
In terms of a university policy being created about the use of "freshman" versus "first-year," Anderson says there has been no university-wide conversation and no formal discussion or university initiative. He says individual programs throughout Elon can decide between using "freshman" or "first-year."
Anderson says he sees no correlation between the term 'freshman' and negative connotations.
"If a student was targeted because they were a 'freshman,' I think they would be equally targeted because they're a 'first-year.'"
Anderson says he believes the word 'freshman' is not degrading.
"I don't think it is... 'freshman' in my mind usually means that high school student that graduated in the spring and is enrolling in the fall. So I don't see anything derogatory about it."
ELN has reached out to Diana Stancy and will be speaking with her Friday about this subject.