Gesundheit, Not 'God Bless You'

A professor at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley asked students in a class syllabus to “Please refrain from saying ‘God bless you,’” before the statement was removed amid outcry from students, KGBT reported. Neither the station nor the university has named the professor, whose syllabus turned up on social media last week as some criticized the request as limiting free speech. But the university said in a statement that the syllabus “sought to identify examples of potentially disruptive behavior the professor believed could hinder the classroom learning environment, including use of cellphones.” The intent was not to limit the religious freedoms of students, the university said, “but to avoid unsolicited comments that might distract others.”