UK: Bath University under fire for barring these three words from lectures and tutorials

A UNIVERSITY has been slammed for pandering to the “snowflake generation” by banning one very common phrase.

Bath University, in Somerset, England, recently held an equality and diversity network meeting, where it was decided that the words “as you know” should be barred from classes.

The idea behind the controversial ban is that it can make certain students feel “inadequate” and stupid if they actually don’t know what the professor is talking about.

During the meeting, a video called Why Is My Curriculum White? was screened which explored ideas of race and belonging on campus.

The clip also showed an unnamed student complaining about the phrase. “Saying ‘as you know’ leads to self-doubt and makes things difficult to question,” the student can be heard saying in the clip.

In minutes of the meeting, the university’s student union race equality group co-chair Berenice Dalrymple is recorded as saying: “Some lecturers used commonly known references stating ‘as you know’, which could make students feel at fault for not knowing and make it difficult to engage with the course content.”

But while the decision was made in order to protect students, many have slammed the policy as an example of pandering to the “snowflake generation”.

According to The Sun, critics include prominent former university lecturer and author Joanna Williams, who said most students were “far more sensible and would not freak out” if they heard the phrase.

“The assumption that students can’t cope with the common expression ‘as you know’ is ridiculous,” the publication reported her as saying.

The latest policy follows comments from Oxford University vice-chancellor Professor Louise Richardson who said at a higher education summit in September last year that universities must stand up for free speech — and that “snowflake” students needed to toughen up.

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