MSU Denver deletes web page saying standard English ‘privileges white communities’ after Campus Reform report

Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Writing Center deleted a page labeling “Standard American English” a tool of white supremacy after Campus Reform reported its existence earlier this month.

The initial Campus Reform report, published Dec. 8, detailed a Writing Center page titled “Linguistic White Supremacy,” which offered guidance for creating “anti-racist” assignments and described “Standard American English” as a “social construct that privileges white communities and maintains social and racial hierarchies.”

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The page encouraged faculty to rethink course design, stating: “Consider how you can design assignments, pedagogy, response/grading practices that acknowledge that racism exists in our assignments, pedagogy, response/grading practices.”

An archived version of the page from Dec. 8 appears on the Wayback Machine.

Following the Campus Reform report, the page was highlighted in coverage by Fox Business and National Review.

Now, the university has deleted the page, and school officials say they never supported the page in the first place.

“The University has removed that content and is working with the Writing Center to review it to ensure alignment with the institution’s mission, values and academic best practices,” a university spokesman told National Review on Dec. 22. 

“MSU Denver remains committed to rigorous academic standards and preparing all students for success in life and careers,” the spokesman continued.

Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Zachary Marshall criticized the Writing Center’s former stance on “Standard American English,” during an interview with American Family News on Dec. 10. 

“I think this story really demonstrates that people who think Standard American English is racist or a tool of white supremacy just really don’t know what they’re talking about, and they really are just delusional,” Marshall said.

“Letting students speak or use their own English — whatever that might be — when they communicate thoughts and ideas,” he continued. “This is ridiculous.”

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Other universities promote “anti-racist” initiatives in English and writing.

Campus Reform reported on Dec. 16 that New Mexico State University’s Department of English has adopted an “Anti-Oppression Statement.” The document advocates for a curriculum that “critically examines the racist history of the subdisciplines of English studies.”

“The English department recognizes that systemic racism, more specifically white supremacy, remains pervasive in US society and education,” the page says. 

“This form of oppression, and the others with which it intersects, results in unequal access to social recognition, economic benefit, and political power,” it continues. 

Campus Reform contacted the Metropolitan State University of Denver for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.