Vice President Mike Pence is slated to make an appearance at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee this weekend. The event isn’t sponsored by the school, it’s a campaign event to support Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. Even so, students at the school are petitioning to keep Pence from visiting.
Zachary Petrizzo reports at Campus Reform:
Students demand that university cancel Pence eventStudents are demanding that Lee University in Tennessee cancel an upcoming appearance by Vice President Mike Pence because they disagree with Pence’s political positions.The petition, started by student Cedes Harris, argues that Pence’s political views are directly at odds with the values of the Christian institution, asking on behalf of “concerned students, faculty, and alumni” that school administrators cancel the his scheduled appearance at Pangle Hall on July 21.It offers seven reasons for why the event should be cancelled, three of which relate to Pence’s affiliation with America First Policies, a political advocacy group created to promote President Trump’s agenda.“Both his involvement with the America First Policies organization and his exhortation of its values defy and ignore the following Christian values,” the list of complaints begins, citing Bible verses about caring for the poor and being hospitable to foreigners.“America First Policies dehumanizes both refugees and immigrants who seek justice, liberty, and freedom from discrimination in the United States,” it continues, adding that “America First Policies, along with local sponsor Allan Jones, supports tax regulations and policies which will inevitably secure wealth for the middle and upper classes while further afflicting the working and poor classes of society.”
Here’s part of the petition from Change.org:
Cancel Mike Pence’s Speech at Lee UniversityWe, the concerned Students, Faculty, and Alumni of Lee University along with Citizens of Cleveland, Tennessee, request that the University cancels Mike Pence’s visit to Pangle Hall.Vice President Mike Pence will be visiting Lee University’s Pangle Hall on July 21, 2018. As a Christian collegiate institution which seeks to embody the life and example of Jesus Christ, we—that is, the Students, Faculty, and Alumni of Lee University along with the Citizens of Cleveland, Tennessee—ask that his visitation to Cleveland be cancelled for the following reasons:1. Both his involvement with the America First Policies organization and his exhortation of its values defy and ignore the following Christian values: love of both friend and enemy (Matt. 5:44, John 13:34-35); caring for the poor, oppressed, and marginalized over insuring the rich (Matt. 19:21, James 2:2-7); welcoming the stranger and foreigner (Matt. 25:35, Lev. 19:33-34); justice and nonviolence rather than oppression and violence (Luke 4:16-19, Jer. 7:5-7).2. America First Policies dehumanizes both refugees and immigrants who seek justice, liberty, and freedom from discrimination in the United States.3. America First Policies, along with local sponsor Allan Jones, supports tax regulations and policies which will inevitably secure wealth for the middle and upper classes while further afflicting the working and poor classes of society.4. Vice President Pence supports actions and policies against the LGBTQI+ community which shames and suppresses this community in ways which are harmful and disrespectful.5. Vice President Pence refuses to acknowledge overt police brutality afflicting the black community, as well as the over-representation of the black community in America’s system of mass incarceration.6. Vice President Pence actively supports the further militarization of police and ICE officers, putting all of the aforementioned communities at greater risk of unnecessary violence.7. Vice President Pence does not represent the love, acceptance, and understanding which the Students, Faculty, and Alumni of Lee University, being a Christian institution and following the example of Jesus Christ, desire to embody and live out.
WRCBTV has more details on the event:
Preparations underway for VP Mike Pence’s visit to Lee UniversityVice President Mike Pence will make two stops in the Tennessee Valley this weekend. The first event will be at Lee University in Cleveland.”This is no question the highest level political figure that we’ve ever hosted on campus,” Dr. Jerome Hammond of Lee University said.Security, logistics and the experience are what Lee University is focusing on when Vice President Pence speaks at Pangle Hall on Saturday. The auditorium seats a little over 600 people and university officials expect it to be a full house.”It’s so exciting to have a sitting vice president. Irrespective of your political leanings are, the fact that it’s a sitting vice president to be in our town, on our campus is, we’re very excited about that,” Dr. Hammond said.
If you read the official statement from the school below, it sounds like they’re sticking with Pence. Good for them:
This story is a good reminder that Trump isn’t the only member of this administration who makes people crazy.
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