Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 10:42:06 -0600

From: "Kathleen M. O'Neill" koneil1[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UIC.EDU

Subject: Re: PC Language



Unfortunately, I have no conclusive academic answer,

but I can say from experience that on my campus

the most regular users of PC language (with

serious intent) are administrators in the

Campus Housing department.



Come to think of it, much of the PC activity (multiculturalism, globalism,

etc.) on our campus comes from the Student Activities Office. The housing

folks have long been into euphemism/revisionism. We can't call the dorms

anything but "residence halls." The housing director is "director of

resident life." On a related issue, we no longer have PE classes: we have

classes in "wellness." Speaking of wellness, I am going to the doctor

today for an annual check-up: our insurance program will completely cover

this examination under a "wellness benefit."





Exactly. We have the "Wellness Center" on campus,

and our dorms are touted as "residence halls" as well.

In fact, Campus Housing prefers to be called

"Residential Life" and I have a fabulous story from my

Housing archive of madness:



UIC just constructed a brand-new residence hall

which opened for residents in August of 1993.

That building was to be thematically grouped with

others called "Commons North" and "Commons South."

The new building is "Commons West."



Like many universities, UIC has three-letter

abbreviations for EVERYTHING (ALL), and these

buildings were abbreviated, respectively,

CON, COS, and hence, COW. Panic spread through

Housing administration. Before the grand opening

of the new building, they had officially changed

the Commons abbreviations to CMN, CMS, and CMW.



Among the given reasons for the sudden change:

they didn't want to risk offending rural students.







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