Penn spokesperson Stephen MacCarthy said in an email, "As a matter of practice we don't comment on individual rankings, all of which use slightly different metrics."
Credit: Julio SosaMembers of Penn College Republicans have had differing reactions towards President Trump’s recent executive order concerning immigration.
The executive order, which Trump signed on Jan. 27, temporarily bars immigration and travel to the United States for citizens of seven nations, all of which have Muslim-majority populations.
In a Facebook post on Jan. 30, the College Republicans called for modifications to the order, urging “the [Trump] administration to further rectify the order by taking steps to allow admittance for those holding travel visas, student visas, H1B and other work visas, and much more.”
However, College and Wharton freshman Michael Moroz , the organization’s representative to the University Council, presented a different opinion towards the executive order at the council’s meeting on Feb. 1.
“We hope President Trump ensures this order is applied correctly and supplements it with a clear plan to implement changes to the immigration standards for the countries of particular concern,” Moroz said.
Moroz started off his statement at the meeting by saying that he was “grateful to represent the College Republicans.”
However, College senior and College Republicans Chairman Matt Shapiro said Moroz’s statement was incongruous with the beliefs of Penn College Republicans. He and College and Wharton junior Julianne Goodman, the executive director of Penn College Republicans, said the statement that the organization published on their Facebook page is what the group will stand behind.
The statement on Penn College Republicans’ Facebook page concluded with a call to all Americans.
“We must not shirk our deeply held American values,” the post read in part. “ [We must continue] to be that shining city on a hill that has offered endless promise and bountiful opportunities to generations of Americans.”
Shapiro and Goodman said that action is currently being taken towards addressing the issue of reconciling these competing statements.
Wharton junior and Penn College Republicans president Sean Egan added that the organization hasn’t released anything publicly about the two differing to avoid unnecessary controversy.
“Students have come and approached me to talk about the two statements,” Shapiro said. “However, we fully stand behind the statement we posted on our Facebook page.”
Goodman and Shapiro also expressed their belief that Penn can and should support affected students without making the situation political.
“The University can defend its mission without going into these political issues. It eradicates any sort of substantive debate and marginalizes parts of the community,” Shapiro said.
On the complete other side of the debate, Penn Democrats organized the Penn March for Immigrants last Thursday. The group had immigrant students speak to a crowd on College Green about how Trump’s travel ban affects them, their families and their home countries.
Correction: An earlier version of this article mischaracterized Shapiro's quote about Penn "eradicating...substantive debate" by "going into these political issues" by making it seem like Shapiro was echoing Moroz's statement at the U. Council meeting. He was not. The DP regrets the error.
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