From: gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener)
Subject: Re: Sexist language
Reply-To: gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 06:36:53 GMT

In article <1992Dec14.060934.5086@Princeton.EDU> roger@astro.princeton.edu (Roger Lustig) writes:
>
>>>>Of course, just saying 'first-year' doesn't specify which year the
>>>>student will graduate.
>>>Neither does "freshman"... 8-)
>>True, but "freshman" indicates that the student is in the first year of his
>>or her undergraduate tenure.  At a major university, a first year student
>>cound be an undergrad, a law student, a medical student, etc.
>
>Well, UVa is a major university, they tell me, yet they've called 1st-yr
>undergrads first-years since the time of Mister Jefferson, and as far
>as I can tell that's *before* the popularity of "freshman."  (Of course,
>they also call the campus the lawn, but that's their right.)

Perhaps, but that's the exception, not the rule.  In the majority of
American colleges and universities, "freshman" has been used to refer
to an undergraduate in the first year of study.  

I'm reminded of several years ago when I was running the auditions for
the Columbia chorus.  I decided to test this.  I stood up and asked
the assembled crowd:

	"How many of you are first-year students?"

Most of them raised their hands.

	"How many of you are freshmen?"

All the grad students put their hands down.  The point is that if
someone tells me they're a freshman, I get a lot more information than
if they tell me they're "first year," as I then have to ask what
school, grad or undergrad,  etc.

>>"Chair" never bothers me.  I use both "chair" and "chairman" depending
>>on circumstance.  If I'm talking casually, I might say, "She's chair
>>of that new committee."  But if I'm announcing it at a speech, I'd
>>certainly say, "Introducing the new chairman of the search committee."
>
>Fine, but there's nothing intrinsically more formal about it.  

Indeed, though "Chair of the board" sounds stilted and ridiculous.

>>I'd only introduce the new chair if it were a furniture show.
>
>I didn't know search committees *had* their own furniture.  

Only if they sit in endowed chairs.

>>This isn't a situation, as is the case with "African American," where
>>a group is deciding what they wish to be called.  The "Freshman"
>>business is being decided by people who obviously are getting paid
>>too much and doing too little.  They should stop wasting their time
>>and let the freshmen call themselves whatever they want.
>
>I'd check out a few more campuses -- not to mention the Lawn -- before 
>making a global statement like that.

Like what?  That we should only change the name of a group when that
group is offended by it?  That's how "nigger" got changed to "negro"
and then to "black" and now slowly to "African American."  It happened
(and continues to happen) because the picture of that racial group in
society has changed drastically over the past 150 years.

I don't see hoards of 19-year-olds mobbing the admin buildings
demanding to be called "first year students."  It just doesn't happen
that way.  The whole "first year" bit has been brought about by people
with nothing better to do.


--
Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ.     "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings 
gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu       to be seriously considered as a means of 
N2GPZ in ham radio circles        communication. The device is inherently of
72355,1226 on CI$                 no value to us." -Western Union memo, 1877
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