July 09, 2016
Students, alumni and supporters of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania have a message for Donald Trump: "You do not represent us."
An open letter, published Friday on Medium and signed by 1,181 people affiliated with the school as of Saturday evening, expressed disappointment in the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's candidacy.
As of August 2015, the school reports there are currently 94,000 alumni across 153 countries, 79,280 in North America.
On numerous occasions, Trump has boasted about his degree from the school and his success in business on the campaign trail.
Related: Report: Penn students want you to forget Trump went to Wharton
However, members of the school are unhappy with the association.
The letter reads, "We, proud students, alumni, and faculty of Wharton, are outraged that an affiliation with our school is being used to legitimize prejudice and intolerance. Although we do not aim to make any political endorsements with this letter, we do express our unequivocal stance against the xenophobia, sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry that you have actively and implicitly endorsed in your campaign.
"The Wharton community is a diverse community. We are immigrants and children of immigrants, people of color, Muslims, Jews, women, people living with or caring for those with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ community. In other words, we represent the groups that you have repeatedly denigrated, as well as their steadfast friends, family, and allies."
Trump is a 1968 graduate of the Wharton School of Finance.
The letter also warns that Trump's disparaging comments about women, Muslims, people with disabilities and others have a detrimental effect on the United States.
"We are dedicated to promoting inclusion not only because diversity and tolerance have been repeatedly proven to be valuable assets to any organization’s performance, but also because we believe in mutual respect and human dignity as deeply held values. Your insistence on exclusion and scapegoating would be bad for business and bad for the American economy. An intolerant America is a less productive, less innovative, and less competitive America," the letter reads.
Trump's comments are also "incompatible with the values that we are taught and we teach at Wharton, and we express our unwavering commitment to an open and inclusive American society," the letter concludes.
Members of the school invite readers to sign the letter, which notes that it reflects only the personal views of signatories and the school does not take a political position.
