A Confederate flag splashed across the grille of a truck has offended some at the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse and apparently threatened the safe space of the campus.

Last Friday, Paula M. Knudson, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, sent out a campus-wide e-mail apologizing to the impressionable students of UWL for the presence of a Confederate battle flag on a truck at a construction site on the school’s campus.

The flag has since been removed from the truck Knudson told Media Trackers in an e-mail on Tuesday.

“I am writing in shared frustration regarding the presence of a private contractor with a confederate flag [sic] on his truck which was located on the new student center construction site,” Knudson wrote on Friday to the student body. “I personally am offended and am very sorry for the fear and angst caused by its presence.” [Emphasis added]

While certainly a controversial symbol and a leftover relic of a system that supported slavery, just how the mere presence of a Confederate flag, often posted by rednecks proud of being rednecks, instilled “fear and angst” in students is not clear.

Knudson went on to say:

“While the image has now been taken down, I know that the fear and angst lingers.  We have to do better. I will be working with the Diversity Organization Council to consider further steps that we can take to help make UW-L a safer and more inclusive environment.

I know that our leadership team joins me in expressing our apologies for this image and pledge to work with all of you to continue to fight for inclusivity. Hate is indeed not a UW-L value.”

Although the flag is tasteless, not once did Knudson explain how “fear and angst” could “linger” after it was removed.

All of Knudson’s e-mails include the signature “PGP: she, her, hers.” A Slate magazine article explains that “PGP” stands for “Preferred Gender Pronoun,” a practice of identifying the pronouns one wishes to be identified with.

Some may prefer a male or female pronoun, others may prefer less gender-specific identification. The LGBT Resource Center of UW Milwaukee lists some gender non-specific pronouns as zir, per, vers and so on.

Authored by Brian Sikma.