Adrienne Peres

#NotOurAlum

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Adrienne Peres
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In the weeks since Donald J. Trump’s victory in the Electoral College, thousands of Americans have registered their fear, outrage, trepidation and opposition to his presidency with the hashtag #NotOurPresident. Countless other world leaders have expressed equal shock and indignation at Trump.

We, Wharton women alumni, add our voices to this dissent. We stand united in repudiating the misogynistic, xenophobic, racist, anti-Semitic, bigoted, and Islamophobic actions of Mr. Trump, his advisors, political surrogates, and supporters.

Furthermore, we call on the administration of Wharton to publicly condemn these egregious proclamations. As the world’s leading business school, Wharton must make it clear that the words and actions of its now most infamous alumnus do not reflect or represent the beliefs, mores, traditions and values of this great institution.

We are disappointed that the leadership of The Wharton School has not already done so, particularly in light of the horribly racist texts recently sent to University of Pennsylvania students. This silence leads us to question our alma mater’s commitment to diversity, inclusivity and support for all Wharton students and alumni, especially those who have been and will continue to be most affected by Mr. Trump’s hateful policies and rhetoric.

Currently, women make up over 40% of Wharton’s student body, people of color make up over 30% and international students make up over 30%. These numbers reflect a concerted effort to expand the school’s diversity. Numerous studies have proven the benefits of diversity on organizational culture as well as performance. Not only does diversity mitigate “group think,” it fosters innovation, growth and profitability in organizations. Diversity is paramount to progress.

The administration’s silence puts the significant advancements made in diversifying its student body in jeopardy. This silence is an implicit endorsement of intolerance. It is a signal heard loud and clear by prospective, current and former students that Wharton cares more about maintaining a “good old boys” network than empowering all future business leaders.

Until the administration makes it clear that Wharton remains committed to the values that made this institution great, we will make our opinions known through our speech, our actions, and certainly our future donations. We will not support an institution that doesn’t support us. We have sacrificed too much to make the progress we have to support the disempowerment and oppression of current students and future graduates.

We speak with one voice in saying that Donald J. Trump is #NotOurAlum.

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