Alums to Penn prez: Trump ain't us
In a new petition, Penn alums want the school to distance itself from Trump
Donald Trump likes to remind the public that he graduated from Penn.
"I went to the Wharton School of Finance," he said multiple times in a July 11 speech in Phoenix, Ariz. "I'm, like, a really smart person."
(For an interesting look at how Trump himself regards his Penn degree, read this fun piece by Penn student Dan Spinelli in The Daily Pennsylvanian.)
Trump's frequent references to his alma mater have alarmed some Penn alums, who say he's using his Penn pedigree to give credibility to repugnant values that are the antithesis of those promoted at the university.
In a petition created by author and 1991 Penn grad Nathaniel Popkin, they're asking Penn president Amy Gutmann and the school's board of trustees to officially "disavow the intolerant views of Donald Trump!" Such a statement "will serve as clarification of Penn's signature culture of opened, diversity and the advancement of rights of women and minority groups."
The petition has been signed by an academically diverse group of Penn grads, including astronaut Garrett Reisman, Penn civic-engagement guru Harris Sokolov and Design Philadelphia founder Hilary Jay.
Read the petition here.