PITTSBURGH — President Donald Trump is set to attend a major energy summit on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University a week from today, but the event is being met with backlash.
Some are excited by the president’s visit while others want the summit to be held somewhere else.
The Fence, an iconic piece of CMU’s campus and a space where students express themselves. Currently, it’s sending a strong message: stop the summit.
“I know that CMU has hosted politicians from both sides before, no problem to me at all. This is different,” said Carrie McDonough, an associate professor of chemistry at the university. “Trump is not a normal Republican. This is not Republican vs Democrat.”
McDonough, along with dozens of faculty, staff, students and alumni, penned an open letter, calling for the summit to be moved off campus.
CMU-specific July 15 Letter for Media by WPXI Staff on Scribd
The letter cites the Trump administration pulling federal research funding and revoking visas for international students.
RELATED COVERAGE >>> 2 students, 5 recent grads from Carnegie Mellon University have visas revoked
“It’s careless and scary to have people who are harmful coming to campus and helping us shape that future. They don’t want the future shaped by Donald Trump,” McDonough said.
But not everyone on campus agrees that the summit should be moved.
“I may not agree with how they’re viewing the honor of having the president on our campus, but at the end of the day, The Fence is there for us to have an ongoing dialogue on campus. To represent the varying views on campus,” said Anthony Cacciato, the president of CMU Republicans. “The president of the United States is coming to your community, to your campus, to recognize the achievements that your school or your community has ascertained in these fields. That should speak for itself.”
McDonough says she met with CMU leadership on Monday. They told her CMU is not involved in the summit and is only serving as host. Channel 11 tried to reach CMU for a comment but did not hear back.
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