NASHVILLE -- Two state Senate panels will hold joint hearings next month on higher education governance that include a review of the encouragement of "gender neutral" pronouns at the University of Tennessee's Knoxville campus.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville, and Higher Education Subcommittee Chairman Joey Hensley, have scheduled the hearings for Oct. 14 and Oct. 15.
A list of gender neutral pronouns provided by UT. 
State Sen. Bo Watson is interviewed by editors during a meeting at the Times Free Press.Darlene Schlicher, a Senate Republican spokeswoman, said in response to an email that the hearings were planned prior to the flap over the suggested use of gender-neutral pronouns like "ze" in place of "he" and "she."
Since the panels were already meeting, the gender-pronoun matter was simply added to the agenda, she said.
Earlier this week, Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, called the use of the pronouns "ridiculous" and said lawmakers should hold hearings. Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, also weighed in and urged UT-Knoxville officials to "take quick action to resolve this issue," and warned that if they don't "the legislature will most certainly weigh in when we return in January."
The event triggering the hoopla came last week when UT-Knoxville's Pride Center Director Donna Braquet posted a newsletter on the university's Office of Diversity and Inclusiveness' website.
Bracquet offered the new pronouns to create a more inclusive campus for gays, lesbians and transgender students.
"Transgender people and people who do not identify within the gender binary may use a different name than their legal name and pronouns of their gender identity, rather than the pronouns of the sex they were assigned at birth," she wrote.
Braquet requested that instead of calling roll, instructors ask each student to provide the name and pronoun he or she wishes to be referred by.
The university later issued a statement explaining that "there is no mandate or official policy to use the language. The information provided in our Office of Diversity and Inclusion newsletter was offered as a resource to our campus community on inclusive practices."
Asked today what the Senate panels' examination of higher education governance involved, Schlicher said it will focus on the roles of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the University of Tennessee and the State Board of Regents' systems.
Lawmakers will also discuss college programs and get an update on the state's Tennessee Promise program which provides last-dollar scholarships and mentoring to all state high school graduates.