More than 100 professors at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs have signed a letter protesting Donald Trump’s Friday appearance on their campus.

Led by philosophy professor Jeff Scholes and sociology professor Jeff Montez de Oca, the effort started Wednesday morning once word got out about the event, which marks Trump’s second time in Colorado in the past month.

The letter, obtained by The Colorado Independent, reads in part:

Our issues with Mr. Trump are twofold. First, Mr. Trump has repeatedly made public statements that are either not supported by any reasonable amount of empirical evidence or are reliant on selective samples. For instance, Mr. Trump has repeatedly stated that crime in the United States is rising and that we live in a society that is growing more dangerous. A preponderance of evidence at the nationwide level contradicts that claim; but more importantly, Trump then uses such specious reasoning to fuel fear of certain minority groups.

In recent days, the Trump campaign has swung through the battleground states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio. The candidate is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. at the Gallogly Event Center at UCCS located at 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway in the Springs. Doors open at 11 a.m., and parking is notoriously tricky.

The purpose of the faculty letter, Scholes told The Independent, is not to protest anyone’s right to speak on a public university campus, but to “condemn the content of the rhetoric that Mr. Trump has used since announcing his bid for Presidency.”

Scholes said he and others didn’t want to idly stand by, given the “rhetoric of exclusion” championed by the Republican Party’s nominee for president throughout his campaign.

Montez de Oca, the sociology professor, tells The Independent he takes issue with the way Trump frames his arguments or manipulates statistics.

“That sort of use of language in that way absolutely contradicts the goals of academia, the ways in which we pursue truth,” he says.

The letter further addresses how Trump’s “unsubstantiated statements have been used to impugn entire groups of people, such as Muslims, Mexicans, women, and disabled people in divisive ways.”

Faculty members delivered their letter to UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak earlier today.

July 28, 2016 Dear Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak, With the pending visit of the Republican nominee for President, Donald J. Trump, to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Friday July 29, 2016, the signers of this letter, as faculty of UCCS, feel the need to offer a public response to Mr. Trump’s presence on our campus. This letter does not claim to represent all UCCS faculty or the university, only the individuals who have endorsed its message. To be clear, UCCS is a public university and, as such, it is an institution that reveres free speech. As university faculty, we not only recognize Mr. Trump’s legal right to speak on our campus, but also embrace the productive dialogue about U.S. and global politics that the event will no doubt inspire. But we as faculty similarly have the right and obligation to express our own professional consciences, especially as it pertains to events occurring at our place of work. While we recognize Mr. Trump’s right to speak at UCCS and at other public venues, we strongly condemn the content and tone of much of the rhetoric that Mr. Trump has used since announcing his bid for Presidency. Our issues with Mr. Trump are twofold. First, Mr. Trump has repeatedly made public statements that are either not supported by any reasonable amount of empirical evidence or are reliant on selective samples. For instance, Mr. Trump has repeatedly stated that crime in the United States is rising and that we live in a society that is growing more dangerous. A preponderance of evidence at the nationwide level contradicts that claim; but more importantly, Trump then uses such specious reasoning to fuel fear of certain minority groups. Second, Mr. Trump’s unsubstantiated statements have been used to impugn entire groups of people, including Muslims, Mexicans, women, and disabled people. We contend that his divisive language prevents the kind of civil discourse that is the life blood of a democratic society. Mr. Trump’s claim that the majority of immigrants from Mexico are criminals, including murderers and rapists, is contradicted by documented evidence. Similarly, Mr. Trump’s call for the use of torture would contravene the United Nations Convention against Torture. Likewise, UCCS’ stance on diversity and inclusiveness states that we “must be inclusive of everyone” in order to combat “legacies of advantage and disadvantage,” which accords wit Article 10 of the University of Colorado’s nondiscrimination policy. We honor the spirit of former CU president George Norlin, who took a courageous stand against racial and religious discrimination based on ideals that our university continues to uphold. We censure any statement made by Mr. Trump (or any other person) that can be classified in these two ways. As faculty of a university that prides itself on the encouragement of free speech and the productive discourse that can follow, we reject the reckless use of language that supports silencing anyone on our campus—even as we respect the right to speak such words.

In a public letter of her own, Chancellor Shockley-Zalabak wrote “Many faculty, staff, and students have expressed disappointment and anger at Mr. Trump’s appearance on our campus.”

She said she’d been asked whether “Mr. Trump’s appearance on campus creates a hostile environment in a manner that would violate other federal laws,” and responded that political speech is protected under the First Amendment.

The school has worked to provide adequate security, she said, and no permits will be needed to protest on the grounds.

Ringed by five area military installations and home to the evangelical Focus on the Family, the Colorado Springs area is one of the most heavily conservative parts of the country.

[Photo credit: UCCS]