Cornell U. warns students mistletoe isn’t ‘inclusive,’ should be avoided

Cornell U. warns students mistletoe isn’t ‘inclusive,’ should be avoided

Here’s wishing you a Merry an Inclusive Christmas!

A guide to “inclusive” Christmas decorations created by Cornell University warns that any decorations that remotely evoke religion — think stars and mistletoe — are incompatible with the school’s commitment to diversity.

The guidelines are buried inside a Cornell publication concerning fire safety guidelines for holiday decorations, and were first noticed by the website Campus Reform. The first half of the document concerns certain banned fire hazards, such as candles and metallic Christmas trees.

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The second half of the document, though, veers off into a discussion of how to make the Christmas season more “inclusive.”

“University members are reminded to be respectful of the religious diversity of our students and colleagues and are encouraged to use an inclusive approach in celebrating the holiday season,” the document says. Students are encouraged to be more “diverse” by either focusing on winter instead of Christmas or by including decorations for multiple holidays alongside secular decorations.

The university then rattles off a list of decorations that are “NOT consistent” with the school’s “commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.” The discouraged decorations include the following:

  • Nativity scenes
  • Menorahs
  • Angels
  • Mistletoe
  • Stars (when placed on top of trees)
  • Crosses
  • Stars of David

While the religious connotations of nativity scenes or Stars of David is rather obvious, it’s not clear why mistletoe is considered as possibly offensive.

The schools says that holly, Santa Clauses, and wreaths might be acceptable decorations, but only after “dialogue within [a] living unit or area” to ensure that nobody is offended.

Universities around the country have been issuing Christmas guidelines aimed at discouraging the display of religious symbols. A recent guidance email at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, for instance, warned against letting holiday parties become “Christmas parties in disguise” and discouraged using terms such as “Secret Santa” because they could offend people.

This report, by Blake Neff, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.

LU Staff

LU Staff

Promoting and defending liberty, as defined by the nation’s founders, requires both facts and philosophical thought, transcending all elements of our culture, from partisan politics to social issues, the workings of government, and entertainment and off-duty interests. Liberty Unyielding is committed to bringing together voices that will fuel the flame of liberty, with a dialogue that is lively and informative.

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