Third time’s a charm? Lehigh U diversity office wants to rescind Trump honorary degree
Lehigh University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs asked students and faculty to sign a petition to rescind President Donald Trump’s honorary degree.
This effort marks the third attempt to remove Trump’s honorary degree in just four years.
The diversity office at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania is attempting to revoke President Donald Trump’s honorary degree, marking the third attempt to do so in just four years.
The school’s Office of Multicultural Affairs asked that Lehigh community members endorse a petition to revoke the degree, which was awarded to the forty-fifth president in 1988.
“OMA demands of the executive committee of the board of trustees at Lehigh University to rescind the honorary degree of Donald Trump,” the petition reads. “OMA believes that it is hypocritical and alarmingly tone-deaf for Lehigh University to dedicate itself to becoming an Antiracist institution while also publicly showing its support for the rampant white supremacy and outright xenophobia displayed by the current U.S. President Donald Trump.”
The Office of Multicultural Affairs likewise demanded the Board of Trustees demonstrate “that they see, hear, and respect the humanity of all of us and display their ability to stand in solidarity with all of our Antiracism work and efforts by rescinding the honorary degree of U.S. President Donald Trump.”
The petition has gained nearly 1,500 signatures.
According to the Brown and White — Lehigh University’s student newspaper — this effort marks the third attempt in four years to rescind the president’s degree.
In 2017, a petition gained 30,000 signatures within roughly one week; however, Lehigh’s board of trustees decided to refrain from action.
In 2018, Lehigh faculty voted overwhelmingly in favor of supporting a motion to rescind Trump’s honorary degree. Among the 357 faculty members who voted in the motion, 83 percent voted affirmatively, 14 percent voted negatively, and 3 percent abstained.
In August, a group of six University of Pennsylvania professors made a similar effort to revoke Trump’s undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of Business.
Provost Wendell Pritchett denied the professors’ request.
[RELATED: Penn profs push to probe Trump’s admission to Ivy League]
Campus Reform reached out to Lehigh University for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft
