Last night I received an email from an automatic mailing service saying that a student of mine requested a letter of recommendation.

Not a problem! I usually just send an email to the kid asking for some basic info and can whip one up within 40 minutes usually. And this kid is one of the good ones! So I really dont mind!

What I do mind, however, is what the letter of recommendation is going to! The letter of rec is for a certain senator of mine that has a habit of fleeing to Cancun and is often memed to be the Zodiac Killer. Being an openly queer Texan, I absolutely loath the man and typically refuse to have anything to do with him unless it is actively working to get him out of office.

Is it okay to refuse to write this letter? How can I tell this student of mine "hey I would love to write you a letter of recommendation, but not for this".

I thought about writing a generic letter, but I really enjoy being able to write specifically why a student would be a good fit for the program/activity/scholarship. In all honesty without that bit in there, my letters of recommendation read like a letter of "I think this student does well in class. They turn things in on time. They learn. Yay." And it's very flat!