Baylor University places 'sensitive content' warnings at 9/11 flag memorial created by conservative students. Oops.

 

Seems Baylor University deemed a display of 2,977 mini-U.S. flags — in memory of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — a tad much for the campus community to emotionally handle without some kind of trigger warning, so they provided one: "Sensitive content" signs.

What are the details?

Baylor's chapter of Young Conservatives of Texas put together the display — a tradition that's been going on at the school for years, Campus Reform reported, citing a news release from the student group.

But this year Baylor Student Activities told YCT it would place "expression activity" signs near the flags, the outlet said, adding that the mandate was handed down fewer than 24 hours before the event.

So YCT demanded an apology.

"We ask that the university formally apologize to the Baylor community for displaying the signs at our memorial in order to assert their commitment to the victims of 9/11," Campus Reform noted, citing the news release.

And the outlet said the school indeed apologized to YCT as well as the group's adviser.

What did the school have to say?

"Baylor University fully supports the 9/11 display of American flags depicting the thousands of lives lost as a result of the attacks that took place 19 years ago," Lori Fogleman, the school's assistant vice president of media and public relations, told Campus Reform.

She went on to explain to the outlet what went into the "sensitive content" signs: "Out of reverence for the exhibit of flags and in knowing that its moving symbolism could evoke a wide range of emotions, signage was placed near the display notifying those who passed by of its potential impact. This is a standard part of our process regarding outdoor displays which we implemented last year based on feedback from our campus community. We regret that the signage we used has taken away from the intent of the display and apologize for any misunderstanding this may have caused."

Fogleman added to Campus Reform that the university has instituted a new policy — and all temporary on-campus displays "that may evoke an emotional reaction" will be labeled as such.

"In this case, the exhibit's purpose was to remember the thousands of lives lost in the 9/11 attacks; in essence, it was a temporary memorial to those who died on that tragic day," she told the outlet. "Our process should have produced a notice informing students, faculty, staff, and visitors of the upcoming 9/11 display and reminding them of its solemn and reverential meaning. Unfortunately, the execution of this process was very poor."