Carnegie Mellon Student Organizations Attempt to Blacklist Ric Grenell from Faculty

30 student organizations at Carnegie Mellon University have signed a letter urging administrators to cut ties with former Trump administration official Ric Grenell, who joined the university this year as a fellow at its Institute for Politics and Strategy. Grenell served as the acting Director of National Intelligence in 2020 after serving as Ambassador to Germany. Among other charges, students accuse Grenell of “sinophobia,” or anti-Chinese sentiment.

According to a report by the College Fix, students at Carnegie Mellon are pushing back against the appointment of a former Trump administration official to a fellowship role at the university.

Under President Trump, Grenell served as the United States Ambassador to Germany and the acting Director of National Intelligence. Most recently, Grenell was appointed to serve as a Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations.

30 different student organizations at the university signed a letter that calls on administrators to remove Grenell from his position at the university. The letter claims that Grenell’s hiring has harmed the reputation of the university.

“Mr. Grenell has damaged, and continues to damage, our reputation, our code of ethics, our community, and critical democratic institutions. We, the students of Carnegie Mellon University, condemn Mr. Grenell’s actions. His continued presence in our community is unacceptable,” the letter reads.

In another section of the letter, the students accuse Grenell of “sinophobia,” or anti-Chinese sentiment. The letter references a tweet in which Grenell referred to coronavirus and the “Chinese flu.”

“In multiple tweets since the start of his appointment, Mr. Grenell has exhibited and encouraged sinophobia (anti-Chinese racism). On July 14th, for example, Mr. Grenell referred to the Coronavirus as the ‘Chinese flu,'” the letter continues.

Breitbart News reported in September 2019 that Carnegie Mellon was offering courses on pop culture phenomena such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Star Trek. 

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