"There is no 'Religious Diversity and the Holidays' memo. The actions of a single employee, whose attempt at a diversity training session was, to be blunt, ill-advised, does not constitute a policy on the part of the University"
University of Minnesota Official Refutes Holiday Memo
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - A University of Minnesota official denies that the document titled, "Religious Diversity and the Holidays," represents a policy of the school, stating instead that it was an "ill-advised" memo from "one individual that was not distributed broadly." The University has clarified and distanced itself from this holiday memo.
The University representative stated: "There is no 'Religious Diversity and the Holidays' memo. The actions of a single employee, whose attempt at a diversity training session was, to be blunt, ill-advised, does not constitute a policy on the part of the University. The document in question was created by one individual as part of a session for a segment of employees within one area of the University. It was not provided by, reviewed by, or approved by the University of Minnesota; the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences; or the University's Office of Equity and Diversity. The document was not distributed broadly to CFANS employees (or anyone else at the University of Minnesota, for that matter)."
"Public universities may acknowledge and even celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah along with secular aspects of the holiday season," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "I am glad to see the University distance itself from this bizarre holiday memo. I agree with the University official that any distribution of this memo was 'ill-advised,'" said Staver.
UPDATE ON: University of Minnesota Official Refutes Holiday Memo