James Madison University has changed its mind.

Kind of.

For now.

The college has decided not to continue its woke student employee training — at least, not without a review.

As I covered Saturday, the Virginia school recently required enrollees working in the Office of Student Affairs to take utilize an “opportunity.”

Via job training, young adults were informed they fit into one of two groups: privileged (agent) or oppressed (target).

To put it in other terms…

Assailants:

• Able-Bodied
• 30’s to Early 50’s
• Man, Cisgender People
• Heterosexual
• Heteroromantic
• Christian
• White
• American

Victims:

• Below 30’s, Older Than 50’s
• Woman, Transgender, Nonbinary, Genderqueer
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Asexual, Pansexual
• Homoromantic, Aromantic, By/Panromantic
• Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, Pagan
• Black, Asian, Latinx
• Anywhere Outside America

To supplement that incomplete list, a few definitions:

Pansexual: Anyone attracted to people of all genders and sexes, or regardless of sex and gender.
Homoromantic: A person who is…romantically attracted to people who are the same or a similar gender as them.
Heteroromantic: someone who is romantically attracted to a member of the opposite sex or gender.
Aromantic: Someone who experiences little or no romantic attraction to other people. Being aromantic is not the same as being asexual.

For those who’d like to learn more about aromantics, there are several types:

• Demiromantic
• Lithromantic
• Gray-aromantic
• Quoiromantic
• Cupioromantic

Back to JMU, privileged people were told they possess “unearned social power accorded by the formal and informal institutions of society to ALL members of a dominant group at the expense of (the) targeted groups.”

Of course, the school could’ve just taught the staff how to do their jobs.

But those in charge went a different way.

A school rep explained to Fox News:

“The training was held to help ensure that every student guide for freshmen orientation had the tools and understanding to work with incoming students, who might have a different background than their own. At JMU, we strive to create an inclusive and welcoming community for all students.”

Imagine being a white Christian who’s about to work with a gay Latino. And just before the start of your employment, you’re told you oppress that guy.

Imagine being a black Welsh lesbian and being informed your soon-to-be straight American coworker is victimizing you.

Does that build a better workplace?

The school’s answer was obvious, given the efforts made.

However, in the aftermath of publicity, President Jonathan Alger has pressed Pause:

“We have decided to pause the training in question for evaluation and review with a variety of JMU constituents.”

“These are challenging topics to discuss,” he admitted in a statement. “And we know that they are important and demand a lot of thought and care. The ongoing work of the university can, and must be, to seek to have such conversations in ways that honor and respect all members of our community.”

Lest you misunderstand:

“We value and respect individuals of all backgrounds. … [W]e will continue to strive to create a climate in which everyone feels welcome and respected.”

“The ongoing work of the university can,” he said, “and must be, to seek to have such conversations in ways that honor and respect all members of our community.”

In the meantime, JMU’s removed the training video from YouTube.

According to school paper The Breeze, “Student employees were told not to share the video with others once their training was completed.”

Presumably, that was to prevent criticism, such as that tweeted by Virginia Senator Mark Obenshain:

“Liberals love to assert that [Critical Race Theory] is just made-up conservative propaganda. Take a look at the linked training video JMU is forcing on its student employees. I hope students don’t have to buy into this woke nonsense in order to hold campus jobs.”

Liberals love to assert that CRT is just made-up conservative propaganda. Take a look at the linked training video JMU is forcing on its student employees. I hope students don’t have to buy into this woke nonsense in order to hold campus jobshttps://t.co/H53yqdbXi3

— Mark Obenshain (@MarkObenshain) August 19, 2021

As made clear in an email to The Breeze, as for state House Delegate Tony Wilt, he’s old school:

“Look, folks, forcing these ideologies down our students’ throats will get us nowhere,” Wilt said in the statement. “We need our educational institutions to get back to their intended purpose — providing a high-quality education for every student.”

Tony — like many critics of contemporary college’s woke ways — may be a bit too old school…for new school.

-ALEX

See more pieces from me:

Two Dozen Women Professors Drop Science — on Its Head, For Extreme Bias

Seminary Student Refuses to Take Segregated ‘Antiracism’ Training to ‘Grapple’ With His ‘Whiteness’

Scholars Insist Preschoolers Must Be Taught ‘Antiracism’ ‘Throughout the Day’

Find all my RedState work here.

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