CECI N'EST PAS UN SPEECH CODE.

The morale conditioners at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh decided to take a stand against disrespectful interaction, envisioning "An environment that is free of harassment and free of insulting and demeaning comments and epithets based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, military status, socioeconomic status, family status or political views; and consistently enforces federal, state and university protections against discriminatory treatment yet is free from any official speech codes."  Anybody catch the internal inconsistency?  "So students have a right to expect an environment free from insulting and demeaning comments and from any official speech codes?"  Good luck with that.

I wonder if asserting that a statement is "racist" or any of the other -isms or -phobias is insulting or demeaning on its face.  Or if referring to someone as "neanderthal" or "deplorable" or generally engaging in the usual casual common-room smugness is also grounds for a harassment complaint?  The policy appears to leave that opportunity available.  "Members respect and accommodate the views and needs of others in order to allow the development of individual potential."

Clearly, "UW Oshkosh needs to clear this up."  Sure, but we might be looking at a policy that somebody put forth simply to comply with some mandate that such a policy exists (much in the same way that there were medical officers in corrective labor camps?)  In that same statement I found this.  "Students have the responsibility to keep up with and complete all class assignments and requirements and to participate fully in the learning process."  Years ago, Oshkosh was notorious as a party school, and if faculty and student affairs types took that provision seriously, nobody would graduate.