KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee removed a suggested list of gender-neutral pronouns posted to its website after fierce backlash from the public and state lawmakers.

University president Joe DiPietro issued a letter late last week acknowledging the growing controversy surrounding a post on the website of UT’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion that urged students and staff to ask about preferred gender pronouns, and offered appropriate gender-neutral examples, The Tennessean reports.

DiPietro wrote that he is “deeply concerned about the attention this matter continues to receive and the harm it has had on the reputation of the University of Tennessee.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

“The social issues and practices raised by the Officer for Diversity and Inclusion are appropriate ones for discussion on a university campus. However, it was not appropriate to do so in a manner that suggests it is the expectation that all on campus embrace these practices,” he continued.

“Chancellor (Jimmy) Cheek and I have agreed that references to the use of gender-neutral pronouns will be removed from the Office for Diversity and Inclusion website. Chancellor Cheek will instruct the Vice Chancellors not to publish any campus-wide practice or policy without his approval after review with the Cabinet.”

The decision to remove the gender-neutral post, written by UT Pride Center Director Donna Braquet, comes after the web post generated a lot of media attention and drew the scorn of parents, taxpayers and state lawmakers over the last week.

“In the first weeks of classes, instead of calling roll, ask everyone to provide their name and pronouns. This ensures you are not singling out transgender or non-binary students,” according to Braquet’s article, posted online late last month and in the Pride Center’s newsletter. “The name a student uses may not be the one on the roster, and the roster name may not be the same gender as the one the student now uses.

“This practice works outside of the classroom as well. You can start meetings with requesting introductions that include names and pronouns, introduce yourself with your name and chosen pronouns, or when providing nametags, ask attendees to write in their name and pronouns.”

The article was accompanied by a guide to explain how readers should pronounce the make-believe, gender neutral pronouns.

MORE NEWS: How to prepare for face-to-face classes

The singular forms of they, them, and there are pronounced just as they are in their plural forms, while ze, hir, and hirs are pronounced zhee, here, and heres. Ze, zir, and zirs sound like zhee, zhere, and zheres. Xe, xem, and xyr are pronounced zhee, zhem and zhere, according to the chart.

Numerous media outlets highlighted the UT article, and the university’s tacit endorsement of the new pronouns, which were concocted by gender irregular folks in recent years to identify their gender expression.

State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey called the article “the clearest example of political correctness run amok that I have seen in quite some time,” and urged UT officials to “take quick action to resolve this issue” soon.

If they don’t, he said, “the legislature will most certainly weigh in when we return in January.”

State Sen. Bo Watson went as far as to call for a review of the school’s operations, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.

In a prepared statement, Watson wrote it’s “difficult to believe that such a ridiculous suggestion as gender-neutral pronouns would be published on a university website without leadership’s approval.

“To me, it suggests a lack of institutional control, and I believe the Senate Education and Government Operations committees should investigate and review,” Watson wrote.

Taxpayers “should not expect to be paying for this kind of stuff,” he added.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey also voiced his objections to the post.

“Young people should come to Tennessee’s colleges and universities to learn the skills they need to succeed in today’s economy, not absurd liberal propaganda,” a Ramsey statement read, according to The Tennessean. “I appreciate President DiPietro making clear this kind of political correctness is not policy at the University of Tennessee.”