American university votes to revoke Trump's honorary degree
Lehigh University members voted in favor of a motion to rescind an honorary degree awarded to Mr. Trump in 1988.
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US President Donald Trump. Photo:Time. |
More than 80% of eligible voters in the UniversityLehigh, StatePennsylvania, in favor of the motionrevoke the honorary degree granted to President Donald Trump,CNNrecently reported.Only 14% of voters opposed the petition.
Mr. Trump wasLehigh University awards degreeshonored when he was chosen to be the commencement speaker at the 1988 graduation ceremony. As tradition has it, tAll of the speakers were awarded honorary degrees, said school spokeswoman Lori Friedman.
Dr. Michael Raposa, who helped draft the petition, said members of the school "do not want Lehigh to be associated with the sexist, racist, and anti-Muslim rhetoric" that President Trump has expressed.
However, the petition is not a commentary on Mr Trump’s political views or positions. “We don’t want this to be a political debate,” Mr Raposa said.
After the vote, the petition waswas forwarded to the School Board for consideration to decide to revoke Mr. Trump's honorary degree, according toDoug Mahoney, Chairman of the School Board.
GrandfatherRaposa said the results of the vote represented "a clear voice for the school". Previously,An online petition, which gathered more than 30,000 signatures, was presented to the school board in August 2016, but the board voted “no action” at the time.
