University of Minnesota Distances Itself from Christmas Decoration Ban

Earlier this week we reported on an effort by the forced diversity police on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis to severely restrict the display of traditional Christian and Jewish holiday decorations.

According to a memo that was circulated by SJW’s at a “Dean’s Dialogue” event:

The items, which the document describes as “not appropriate,” include bows, bells, depictions of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, wrapped gifts, nativity scenes, the star of Bethlehem, dreidels, angels and doves. Also included are decorations themed around the colors of red and green or blue and white.

“Red and green are representative of the Christian tradition as blue and white/silver are for Jewish Hanukkah that is also celebrated at this time of year,” the document states.

The U of M (@UMNews) shared this letter with some faculty and student employees this week The colors red & green, blue & white/silver are verboten during the “winter celebration” period. Images of Santa, wrapped gifts, and bells are also deemed “religious iconography.” #BahHumbug http://pic.twitter.com/sxzqDXLLqY

— Jon Miltimore (@miltimore79) December 14, 2017

The memo made it clear that such items could potentially cause snowflakes to melt and urged that they be confined to personal safe spaces.

The University itself doesn’t seem to have been privy to the memo and is pushing back.

University of Minnesota: Christmas guidelines ‘ill-advised’ https://t.co/sIAR6MGHIO via @AGockowski

— Campus Reform (@campusreform) December 21, 2017

According to Campus Reform “University of Minnesota: Christmas guidelines ‘ill-advised’”:

The University of Minnesota has condemned a recent document that discouraged a host of holiday practices, saying its creation was “ill-advised.”

Susan Thurston Hamerski, media contact for CFANS, told Campus Reform at the time that the guidelines were used for conversations among faculty and staff, claiming that they are “not policy” and “not for distribution.”

Now, the university itself is taking additional measures to distance itself from the document, saying that “the actions of a single employee, whose attempt at a diversity training session was, to be blunt, ill advised,” and “does not constitute a policy on the part of the university.”

“We do not have such a policy, would never implement such a policy, and any representation otherwise is incorrect,” the university told Campus Reform in a statement. “Again, the University of Minnesota does not have a Religious and Diversity Holiday policy and has no intention of introducing such a policy.”

Becket, a religious liberty law firm, blasted the gudielines , even going so far as to award the department an Ebenezer Award, the “lowest (dis)honor, awarded for the most ridiculous affront to the Christmas and Hanukkah season.”

This one time, the Christmas spirit won out and vanquished the Scrooges and Grinches at UM.