Staffers have been advised to stop using gendered courtesy titles such as Mr. or Ms. at City University of New York.

Mike Vilensky writes at the Wall Street Journal:

CUNY: Don’t Address Students as ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’

“Mr.,” “Mrs.” and “Ms.” are being shown the door at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

In a new policy that has sparked debate among academics, school staffers have been advised to refrain from using gendered salutations in correspondence with students—and instead use a student’s full name, according to an internal memo sent out earlier this month.

The directive pertains specifically to administrators’ written interactions with students and prospective students, said Tanya Domi, a school spokeswoman. But the memo says the policy should be “interpreted as broadly as possible” and was sent to all faculty at the Graduate Center.

“My interpretation was that I was being asked to adhere to this policy, as were the other professors who received the letter,” said Juliette Blevins, a linguistics professor at the school.

The policy goes into effect during the Spring 2015 semester at the Manhattan public university, where some 5,000 students study in doctoral and master’s programs.