Lawmakers want Tenn. university chief to resign after holiday post
Adam Tamburin, The Tennessean 11:57 p.m. EST December 3, 2015
NASHVILLE — Two state lawmakers are calling for the resignation of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville's leader, and others are promising action after a post on the school's website that encouraged employees to "ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise."
Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville, and Senate Government Operations Committee Chairman Mike Bell, R-Riceville, announced their stance against Chancellor Jimmy Cheek in an email Thursday afternoon, shortly after Fox News aired a segment criticizing the university's post. The post, from the university's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, gave tips on how to avoid endorsing a specific religion or culture during a holiday party, including the recommendation not to participate in "Secret Santa" or "Dreidel."
“This is offensive to the vast majority of Tennesseans who help fund this university through their tax dollars,” Bell said in the email. “We have lost confidence in Chancellor Cheek’s ability to lead the state’s flagship university.”
In a prepared statement released earlier Thursday, Cheek said UT honors Christmas "as one of the celebrations of the season."
"We are in no way trying to dismiss this very important Christian holiday," Cheek said. "As a diverse campus, we do promote ways to be inclusive of all cultures and religions. I am disappointed that our efforts to be inclusive have been totally misconstrued."
UT declined to comment on the lawmakers' call for Cheek to resign.
The post specified that the university did not have an official policy on holiday parties. UT spokeswoman Karen Simsen said the university does not monitor or regulate holiday parties on campus.
Those caveats weren't enough to satisfy some Republican lawmakers. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, and state Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, both took to Facebook to express their outrage.
Butt said voters should urge lawmakers to cut UT's diversity funding during the upcoming legislative session, which starts in January. Ramsey pledged to put UT under "increased scrutiny" during the session.
"While the advisory makes clear it is not university policy, these 'suggestions' call into question what purpose university offices of diversity serve," Ramsey wrote.
During the Fox News segment, U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan of Tennessee said he was "personally embarrassed" by the post, which offers best practices for "inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace."
“I am saddened and very disappointed that the school from where I graduated would do this," Duncan said during the interview. “The people I represent are disgusted by this action, and people at the university should be taken to task for it."
Simsen, the UT spokeswoman, said Duncan was blowing the post out of proportion.
"This is ridiculous," Simsen said in an email. "We celebrate Christmas on our campus along with many other holidays. The suggestions are just that, suggestions for being inclusive and recognizing that not everyone worships in the same way or celebrates the same holiday."
While the 331-word post says that parties should not endorse a specific religion or culture, it also says employees should be encouraged to "reflect their personal religions, cultures and celebrations" during holiday parties.
This is not the first time a Web post from the Office for Diversity and Inclusion has drawn lawmakers' ire in recent months.
A post added by the office in August encouraged students and professors to use gender-neutral pronouns when people requested them. That post was removed from UT's website after widespread criticism from Republicans in the General Assembly.
A panel of state lawmakers met in October to question the amount of money spent on diversity programming at the university. During that occasionally tense hearing, multiple legislators called for the university to reevaluate or cut its diversity spending.
The UT system — which includes campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin and Memphis — pumps $5.5 million annually into diversity programming. That makes up less than .25% of the system's total budget of $2.1 billion.
