Kutztown University Pulls Back Ban on Confederate Flag, Swastika

An eastern Pennsylvania university has pulled back a plan to bar students from displaying what it called “distasteful” and “demeaning” symbols such as the Confederate flag and swastikas in residence halls and common areas.

Kutztown University said in a statement on its website Tuesday that university lawyers asked officials to refrain from implementing the proposed decorations policy because of concerns about its constitutionality.

Therefore, the university said, “references to any specific content, such as symbols, will be removed from the policy.” Instead, officials vowed to “educate” students and others about “the historical and modern context for these symbols.”

Last week, the university had said that it would ban “obscene, distasteful displays which are demeaning to an individual’s or group’s race, ethnic, religious background, and/or gender or ability.”