CU Boulder issues 'how to' guide for fighting 'systemic racism' on campus

The University of Colorado Boulder released an “interrupting racism” guide for its students for supposedly racist language and actions.

The distinction between race-motivated hate crimes and offensive language is being increasingly blurred due to campus leftists’ notion of “microaggressions.”

Material distributed by University of Colorado Boulder suggests to students that in order to be a part of the university community, they must actively combat the “systemic racism” that “continues to deeply affect our communities.”

The resource, titled “How to be a Buff: Interrupting racism,” offers several “bystander strategies” to confront those “who may use racist language, tell racist jokes or engage in racist actions.” It also instructs students on “what to say” in various such situations.

”Buff” is a term used to refer to students and members of the university community, derived from the school’s Buffalo mascot.

The guide on “How to be” such a community member encourages students to use various tactics, including to “go covert” — which involves not appearing to intervene while approaching a person experiencing an uncomfortable encounter with a conversation starter like “Hey, don’t we have class together? What did you think of that last project?”

”A successful ‘covert’ intervention might not look like an intervention at all to someone else watching the situation,” the guide explains “Make your presence known and approach the person who’s being harassed. Make eye contact and greet them as if they were a friend you hadn’t seen in a while.”

[RELATED: World Economic Forum tells U.S. colleges to ‘re-educate the racists among us’]

If possible, students are told to “be direct” by distracting the perpetrator or asking them to stop. Although students are reminded that “that for some people and communities, police presence can create additional fear or harm,” there may be situations where students should call 911.

As Campus Reform has previously reported, the line between race-motivated hate crimes and offensive language is increasingly blurred thanks to campus leftists’ notion of “microaggressions” — defined as “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.”

For example, a sociology professor at the University of California Los Angeles told students that racial microaggressions are a tool to “keep those at the racial margins systemically in their place.” He argued that microaggressions should be perceived as “assaults directed at people of color” based on the “academic, psychological, and sociological toll on those targeted.”

[RELATED: Microaggressions can be ‘lethal,’ profs tells Berkeley students]

In 2018, librarians at Simmons College — arguing that “people who follow Christianity have institutionalized power” — warned students that “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Easter,” and “God bless you” are microaggressions against Muslim people. 

[RELATED: Librarians warn ‘Christian fragility’ causes microaggressions]

A guide published by Rowan University argued that saying “everyone can succeed in this country, if they work hard enough” constitutes a microaggression, advising students to respond to such statements by challenging the speaker to provide examples.

[RELATED: ‘Meritocracy’ is a microaggression, university guidebook claims]

Campus Reform reached out to the University of Colorado Boulder for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.