A student at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley snapped a picture of a course syllabus distributed during the first week of classes. Right after a rule stating students must turn off their cell phones during exams, the syllabus said, “Please refrain from saying, ‘God bless you’ during the classes and exams.”
The syllabus photo was posted to social media and quickly went viral.
The story was originally reported by the local CBS affiliate KGBT-TV. The professor in question and the course he or she teaches at UTRGV have not been identified. However, KGBT did interview several students about the policy, and got a mixed reaction.
“I honestly wouldn’t have a problem with it,” said UTRGV student Aaron Bravo who saw the image on social media. “It shouldn’t really be a problem, because it’s the teacher’s classrooms,” he added.
Other students weren’t so understanding.
“It’s kind of ridiculous, First Amendment, freedom of religion. It’s there. We shouldn’t have to block that out of school,” student Marcos Villarreal told the TV station.
“I would’ve not said anything, but it would’ve bothered me, because as common courtesy, I say ‘God bless you’ to people who sneeze,” said another student.
University administrators released a statement defending the professor.
“The professor’s syllabus sought to identify examples of potentially disruptive behavior the professor believed could hinder the classroom learning environment, including use of cellphones,” the statement read. “The intent was not to limit the religious freedoms of UTRGV students, but to avoid unsolicited comments that might distract others.”
The professor has since removed the sentence from the syllabus.
