re: Univ. of Washington - Tacoma believes established grammar is racist

quote:

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If a student (SINGULAR) cannot complete their course work with correct basic grammar, then they (PLURAL) don't belong in college.

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Wrong.

The singular they goes back to the 16th century and is generally accepted as a means of avoiding gender-specific pronouns. The Washington Post officially recognizes it as acceptable in its style guide. The Oxford Dictionary includes the third person plural usage as a definition of "they". The Oxford Dictionary also employs that usage in example sentences.