Jonathan Turley (George Washington; Google Scholar), Law School is No Picnic: Environmental Law Society Pulls References to a Picnic as Offensive:

We have been following the gradual elimination of common terms deemed offensive or microaggressive. The latest is the word “picnic.” After the University of Nevada Las Vegas law school’s Environmental Law Society announced a picnic, it was renamed “Lunch by the Lake” due to “diversity and inclusion” concerns. The ELS was able to avoid a second correction with a “Lunch in the Field” since “field” has also been found to be offensive at other schools. According to a memo, the law group informed members that the word “picnic” has “historical and offensive connotations,” and apologized for “any harm or discomfort” caused by its use. That is consistent with the view of  the University of Michigan’s IT department in finding that “Picnic” was an offensive word.

Prior fact checks found that claims that the term originated in reference to “racist lynchings” are wrong. Rather, it is connected to the 300-plus-year-old French word “pique-nique,” meaning a potluck-like social gathering. …

There have been an array of such controversies over terms being dropped for what some may incorrectly assume to be their meaning or origin. …

College Fix, UNLV Law School Apologizes for Using Word ‘Picnic,’ Changes It to ‘Lunch by the Lake’