Hundreds of students, alumni from DeVos’s Christian college oppose her selection as education secretary
Hundreds of students and alumni from Calvin College, the Christian school that is the alma mater of Michigan billionaire Betsy DeVos, have signed a letter saying they oppose her nomination by President Trump to be secretary of education, according to the school’s student newspaper, the Calvin Chimes.
Calvin College, founded in 1876, has an enrollment of about 4,000 students. According to its website, it is “a top-ranked college in Grand Rapids, Michigan that prepares students to be Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. Through rigorous academic study and intentional Christian community, you will learn to think deeply, act justly and live wholeheartedly in everything that you do.”
The letter, initiated by an alumnus of the college, has more than 700 signatures and was still accepting them before it was to be sent to members of the Senate education committee, who are scheduled to vote on DeVos’s nomination on Jan. 31, the Calvin Chimes said. A committee vote had been scheduled for this week but was postponed after DeVos stumbled at her confirmation hearing on Jan. 17, displaying a lack of understanding of basic education issues.
Hundreds of @CalvinCollege alumni have signed a letter opposing Betsy DeVos's confirmation. calvin.edu/chimes/2017/01…
The letter was posted on the student newspaper’s Facebook page and received numerous comments, some of them supporting DeVos and others backing those who signed the letter.
The White House did not respond to a query about the letter. Matt Frendewey, national communications director for the American Federation for Children, a nonprofit organization DeVos founded and ran, said in an email:
Betsy DeVos is fully qualified, prepared and ready to serve as our nation’s next Secretary of Education. And, she has broad support across the country and locally, including Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent Weatherhall Neal. Betsy DeVos has been unequivocal in her support for public education,Hundreds of students, alumni from DeVos’s Christian college oppose her selection as education secretary - The Washington Post: