Texas Christian University (TCU) announced on June 2 that first-time college students and those who have up to 23 credit hours will be called “first-year” as opposed to “freshmen.”
“This move brings TCU in line with current higher education industry standards and reflects the university’s use of inclusive language,” the university announcement stated. (RELATED: Elite Private School Encouraging Students To Drop Words Like ‘Mom,’ ‘Dad’ Because They’re Not Inclusive Enough)
A view of a TCU football game. Photo by Ron Jenkins. Getty.
“I am proud that TCU is officially making the commitment to this terminology,” said Kathy Cavins-Tull, vice chancellor for Student Affairs. “It is a reflection of our university-wide commitment to inclusive excellence.”
The Data Governance Executive Board approved the recommendation on March 25, and the changes will be effective August 21 — the first day of the academic year — according to the announcement.
Other universities across the country have adopted gender-inclusive language by eliminating traditional freshmen-through-senior terms. Pennsylvania State University’s senate passed “inclusive language” reform legislation in May, going so far as to eliminate terms such as “junior” and “senior” because they are “parallel to western male father-son naming conventions,” as previously reported.
In 2012, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dropped “freshmen” from its lexicon in order to adopt “gender neutral language,” Campus Reform reported at the time.