President Ross on planned anti-Trump protest: "I believe in freedom of speech"
University President George Ross said he supports the first amendment rights of students who plan to protest the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States.
Ross wrote his views on the subject in an e-mail sent to the campus community Monday. The demonstration planned for noon on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Pearce Hall is a part of concurrent college campus protests of Trump’s victory held nationwide.
The CMU-specific protest is titled "Stop Hate: Walkout and Protest."
Ross acknowledged the protest plans in his Monday remarks, while also calling for students faculty and staff to "be beacons of peace, respect, inclusivity and civility."
"I believe in freedom of speech and am proud that CMU students, faculty and staff are engaging in conversations and peaceful demonstrations like the one planned tomorrow," Ross said. "As we move forward, I urge us to remember that at CMU, we advocate for and unequivocally support differences such as race, religion, ability, gender and sexual orientation. So, too, must we respect the rights of others to have different political views."
Ross wrote in his message that his experience with civli rights is personal: His wife Elizabeth Ross "provided respite on the third stop of the voters’ rights march from Selma to Montgomery" when she was 13 years old.
"I have lived through the administration of presidents and other elected officials whom I have agreed with, and those with whom I have not," Ross said. " I have worked beside those whose political views match mine, and also beside those whose views are different. This is part of the American experience."
Visit cm-life.com for live updates of Tuesday's protest.
