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Leibee: CSU has gone too far with inclusive language

Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

If you’re a freshman this year amidst the hustle and bustle of starting college, moving in and figuring out your new routine and lifestyle, orientation leaders at Colorado State University introduced you to an important aspect of CSU’s culture: inclusive language.

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Inclusive language includes every identity, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc. During orientation, we were introduced to gender pronouns such as “they/them/theirs.” This is something to be excited about, and most of us actively respect people’s gender pronouns, but as the semester continues, it has become obvious that inclusive language extends way beyond gender pronouns. 

It is great for students to try to use inclusive language, but it has become an expectation of students. This expectation might not be entirely fair. We have been asked to get rid of the language we have been using for as long as we have known the English language.

We were told that the popular term “you guys” was not inclusive of all genders, and we should instead replace it with “y’all.” We were told to use the term “first-year” instead of “freshman,” because “freshman” is not inclusive of all genders.

After getting involved in residential leadership, I was told not to use the word “dorms,” and replace it with “residence halls.” Apparently, dorm refers to only a place where one sleeps, and residence hall refers to a place where we sleep, eat, study and participate in social activities.

A countless amount of words and phrases have been marked with a big, red X and defined as non-inclusive. It has gotten to the point where students should carry around a dictionary of words they cannot say.

In a meeting with Zahra Al-Saloom, the director of Diversity and Inclusion at Associated Students of Colorado State University, she showed me an entire packet of words and phrases that were deemed non-inclusive. One of these phrases was “long time, no see,” which is viewed as derogatory towards those of Asian descent.

Al-Saloom believes inclusive language is important at CSU.

“(It) incorporates identities without the binary,” Al-Saloom said. She does not believe it is okay to say “you guys,” but expressed a willingness to educate. “I’m not gonna try and change them, but educate them.”

We have been asked to phase out phrases from our language that we hear every day outside of this campus. However, we were never asked if we felt these terms were not inclusive, we were told. 

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“As a woman, I feel excluded when the term ‘you guys’ is used,” said Lauren Rodgers, the Director of Residential Development for Residence Hall Association, an organization on campus that strongly emphasizes inclusive language.

A question I would pose to all women on this campus is, do you actually feel excluded by the term “you guys,” or were you told that “you guys” excludes you?

The Department of Education released an inclusive language guide in 2012, and while it contains gender inclusive terms, the one term it does not mention is “you guys.” 

I asked both Al-Saloom and Rodgers the question: If this sort of language is not censored outside of this campus, why should we censor it here? Rodgers responded, “Even if the world isn’t good, you should be good.” Al-Saloom responded that, “CSU abides by the principles of community, and we want to make it an inclusive space.”

“Even if the world isn’t good, you should be good”- Lauren Rodgers, Director of Residential Development 

While this is all good and well, eventually we will all have to leave the inclusive, non-offensive bubble that we are living in at this school and step into a cruel world that doesn’t care about any of this language we have just spent 4 years adapting to.

Inclusive language should not be taught at CSU, instead, each individual student should get to decide whether this is something they want to change, without anyone correcting them.

We should all consider the possibility that these words were not a problem until we made them a problem. These phrases were not exclusive until we decided they were. Ultimately, the word “freshman” is never going to go away just because CSU has decided it should.

Katrina Leibee can be reached at letters@collegian.com or Twitter @KatrinaLeibee.

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About the Contributor
Katrina Leibee, Editor-in-Chief
Katrina Leibee is serving as The Rocky Mountain Collegian's editor in chief for the 2021-22 academic year. Leibee started at The Collegian during the fall of her freshman year writing for the opinion desk. She then moved up to assistant opinion editor and served as the opinion director for the 2020-21 academic year. Leibee is a journalism and political science double major, but her heart lies in journalism. She enjoys writing, editing and working with a team of people to create the paper more than anything. Ask anyone, Leibee loves her job at The Collegian and believes in the great privilege and opportunity that comes with holding a job like this. The biggest privilege is getting to work with a team of such smart, talented editors, writers, photographers and designers. The most important goal Leibee has for her time as editor in chief is to create change, and she hopes her and her staff will break the status quo for how The Collegian has previously done things and for what a college newspaper can be. From creating a desk dedicated entirely to cannabis coverage to transitioning the paper into an alt-weekly, Leibee hopes she can push the boundaries of The Collegian and make it a better paper for its readers and its staff. Leibee is not one to accept a broken system, sit comfortably inside the limits or repeat the words, "That's the way we've always done things." She is a forward thinker with a knack for leadership, and she has put together the best staff imaginable to bring The Collegian to new heights.

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