Over the last few years, students have brought forward concerns to the OWeek planning committee that the widely used term frosh was “condescending,” school officials said in an emailed statement.
Others have suggested that the term “can be interpreted by some as a homophobic slur,” the statement read.
It continued: “Ensuring students feel a sense of belonging at Western is important to us. While there is no written rule about the use of the term frosh, we are encouraging the use of clear terminology such as first-years or new to Western.”
Western’s student newspaper, The Western Gazette, first reported the concern from officials. They report that the request was first made during an online summer soph orientation meeting and that it stems from a concern over a similar-sounding Italian word.
The Italian word frocio translates to “pansy,” according to Cambridge Dictionary.
According to merrian-webster.com the word frosh comes from the German word for frog, or frosch. The meaning of frosch, it states, is a college freshman.
One entry in the Urban Dictionary states a frosh is “one of the words used in Italian to describe a homosexual male.” Other entries describe a frosh as someone who forgets easily, likes to party and is everyone’s “favourite friend.”
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