Trump and Hillary's alma maters join forces on presidential endorsement

Jesse Ferguson ?@JesseFFerguson 12h12 hours ago
WOW.

Joint editorial endorsing HRC by Penn & Wellesley student papers. Trump and Clinton's alma maters. Together. https://t.co/C1Exi0yUCo

In crafting the personas of the presidential candidates, media outlets have emphasized the role higher education has played in the development of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The relationship between the presidential candidates and their respective undergraduate institutions has, in turn, motivated discussions among students at Wellesley and the University of Pennsylvania. In its last edition, the Wellesley News endorsed Clinton and appraised her relationship to the college. Meanwhile, as the newspaper of Donald Trump’s undergraduate institution, The Daily Pennsylvanian Opinion Board has a responsibility to discuss its relationship — or lack thereof — with the candidate and his values...

At Wellesley, the student support for Clinton is neither unconditional, nor nested in her affiliation with Wellesley. Rather, while Donald Trump bases his campaign on racist, sexist and xenophobic rhetoric, Clinton has proposed feasible policies that the Wellesley campus supports, including protections for immigrants, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and women.

Throughout her career and her many years of public service, Clinton has exemplified the Wellesley motto, “Non Ministrari sed Ministrare,” or “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” She worked at the Children’s Defense Fund and has been a strong advocate for women’s rights throughout the world. Clinton served children and families through pro bono legal work, published several legal reviews and has pushed for health care reform throughout the decades. She served as a first lady, two-term senator in New York, and secretary of state. When looking at her professional and personal history, it is clear that Clinton not only upholds the values of Wellesley College, but redefines them.

Though Clinton embodies her alma mater’s institutional values, Trump does not. It is clear that Trump has failed to dignify the morals of his institution. Penn’s motto, “Leges sine moribus vanae,” translates as “Laws without morals are useless.” In evaluating Donald Trump through this context, the Opinion Board cannot say that his actions attest to his morals: He does not embody the spirit of the school.

Students at any institution look up to prominent alumni as models for their futures. We at The Daily Pennsylvanian are concerned about the precedent that Donald Trump sets for our fellow peers and how he chooses to leverage his affiliation to Penn to the rest of the world. His divisive policies are not only orthogonal to those of Penn, but to democracy. Comparatively, Hillary Clinton, time and time again, has embodied pragmatic leadership and service and, more importantly, the desire and capacity to both listen and respond to the needs of a diverse society...

read more: http://www.thedp.com/article/2016/10/wellesley-penn-endorse-hillary-clinton-over-donald-trump