MAHWAH — Uncle Sam can join the Founding Fathers on the list of what New Jersey colleges and universities apparently find offensive.

CampusReform.org reports that officials at Ramapo College scrapped an American-themed barbecue in August because either students or administrators found posters promoting the event too "military and recruitment-oriented."

The edict to sanitize the red-white-and-blue barbecue confused the campus residence official who had invited the school's Republican and Democratic clubs to sponsor the event. In an email obtained by CampusReform.org, the residence official tells the Republican student leader that she believes the Uncle Sam posters may have triggered the complaint.

A College Republican member at Ramapo College complained that "being offended has been taken to a new level" at her school.

"Within the United States, we should be proud to sport red, white and blue. We should be proud to call ourselves American, no matter our gender, race or sexual orientation," Monica Lynn wrote.

A Ramapo spokeswoman dismissed the controversy, chalking it up to a “miscommunication.” She told CampusReform.org that American flags were flown at the barbecue.

The conservative website has been critical of campus speech codes on Garden State campuses before.

This month the site brought attention to a "microagression" awareness program at Rutgers University warning students that their thoughtlessly offensive words, even if unintentional, could be dangerous to people's health.

Princeton University was ridiculed by some earlier this year after it came to light that its Human Resources Department's policy did away with gendered references to "mankind" and "Founding Fathers."

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-438-1015 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.

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