Order has been restored in one Georgia college class, where a restriction on saying “bless you” after a sneeze has been lifted.
The “bless you” ban, imposed in part of a physics class syllabus by Leon Gardner, a professor at Coastal College of Georgia, earned the ire this week of conservative bloggers, including the Drudge Report.
Gardner's syllabus, which was obtained by Campus Reform and Inside Higher Ed, listed the "bless you" nicety as an unacceptable interruption under the "Behavioral Deduction" section of the document.
“We are taught that it is polite to say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes,” the syllabus read. “However, if you say this while I am talking, it is NOT polite, it is very rude!”
Being late to class, cellphone disturbances and sharpening pencils in the middle of class were also deemed unacceptable behavior that could lead to lower grades or even being kicked out of class.
The uproar got the attention of the administration at the school, part of the University System of Georgia.
A statement posted on the Brunswick college’s website reads: “The professor’s intent was to explain that disruptive behavior is not allowed in the classroom. The professor, who used other examples such as turning off cell phones prior to class and not arriving late, has removed the example and stated that no student has been disciplined or expelled from his class based on that example. The college is conducting a full review.”
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