University students petition to take back Trump honorary degree
Source: The Hill
BY JOHN BOWDEN - 08/18/17 05:22 PM EDT
Thousands of current students and graduates of a Pennsylvania university are petitioning the school to rescind the honorary degree it awarded President Trump in 1988 after he delivered the school's commencement address.
The petition, which had passed 18,000 signatures by Friday, was created by Lehigh University alumna Kelly McCoy, 22, according to Fox News. McCoy started the petition in response to Trump's comments about the violence caused by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend.
"In 2011, Lehigh faculty and students drafted the 'Principles of our Equitable Community,' a document that contains guidelines for making Lehigh a more diverse and welcoming atmosphere for its students," the petition posted on Change.org reads.
"These principles are antithetical to the behaviors and statements of Donald Trump during his presidency and on the campaign trail," it continues. "Allowing Donald Trump to retain his honorary degree represents a hollow and superficial ideological commitment from Lehigh to these principles."
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/347165-university-petitions-to-take-back-trump-honorary-degree