College president uses Thanksgiving message to denounce Trump

A college president in New York used the Thanksgiving holiday to send a message to faculty and students, bashing President-elect Donald Trump.

Jon Chenette, interim president of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, sent the message on Wednesday, according to Legal Insurrection.

Chenette begins by saying he is "heartened" by campus protests that took place following the November 8 election. Chenette continues by pointing out that "people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ communities and others" are concerned about where the U.S. is heading, although he never mentions Trump by name.

"We commit whole-heartedly to the support and encouragement of our students, especially at a time when some in our country seem to be calling into question the rights of some groups to full dignity and respect," Chenette writes, adding that he and the presidents of more than 100 other colleges wrote a letter to Trump "urging him to condemn the hate speech and acts of violence being perpetrated across our country."

Chenette said he also added Vassar College's name to an open letter to Stephen Bannon, Trump's newly-appointed White House strategist, who he said has a "shameful record of homophobic and misogynistic statements and support for other hateful speech." The college president further called on government officials to allow some illegal immigrant children to stay in the U.S. for at least two more years, a policy that Trump has in the past has indicated he might reverse as president.

Chenette concludes the letter by saying: "As recent events make clear, much work lies ahead. But as this campus makes clear, there is much to be thankful for. I hope that all of you will find comfort and joy in your family and friends during the coming weeks. I hope further, for all of us and for those we care about so deeply, that as a country we can reaffirm our commitment to the rights of all people."

Read Chenette's letter in its entirety here.

(H/T: Daily Caller)