One group of Tennessee college students is making headlines by taking a bold stand against the University of Tennessee’s guidelines regarding holiday parties. The school reportedly asked students to keep all Christmas parties secular and refrain from using decorations or references to Jesus or Santa Claus. UOT’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion was apparently intent on removing any aspects of holiday celebrations that non-Christians might find offensive.
The plan backfired when the members of the Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity fashioned a six-foot-tall banner adorned with a Christmas tree and a star. Written on the banner were the words, “Come and Take It.” The fraternity members then draped the banner over the side of the Beta Upsilon Chi house. Some Tennessee politicians were quick to applaud the stance of the students.
Tennessee Republican Rep. John Duncan told Fox News, “The people I represent are disgusted by this. People from all over the country are sick and tired of all this political correctness.”
The university quickly issued a statement which denied the existence of such guidelines and removed reference to them from the UOT website. Many feel that the students were merely defending their right to celebrate Christmas as they saw fit.
One of these people is Tennessee Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey who said the students should not “have their values and traditions sidelined and undermined.”
