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Since the early days of the 2016 presidential campaign, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump. For some students and alumni ofthe evangelical Christian school inLynchburg, Va., Libertys perceived alignment with the president has been a source of shame and anger, a group of graduates wrotelast week.

Last week, manyreached their breaking point. After Trumps equivocation about neo-Nazi groups followingthe violence in Charlottesville, Falwell once again voiced his unwavering support for the president, tweeting that he was so proud of Trump forhis bold truthful statement on the tragedy.

President Trump on Aug. 15 said that "there's blame on both sides" for the violence that erupted in Charlottesville on Aug. 12. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

In response,Liberty Universitygraduates are calling on fellow alumni to take a stand against by returning their diplomas. They are also writing letters to Falwells office and to the Board of Trustees, calling for his removal.More than 260 people have joined a Facebook group titled Return your diploma to LU.

By publicly revoking all ties, all support present and future, the graduates hope to send a message to the school that could jeopardize future enrollment, finances and funding, according to the Facebook group. They are urging graduates to return their diplomas to Falwells office by Sept. 5.

In addition, several alumni have written letter to university officials calling on Falwell to disavow Trumps statements, NPR reported. In it, the graduates said Falwells characterization of Trumps remarks were incompatible with Liberty Universitys stated values, and incompatible with a Christian witness.

This sort of sends a wake-up call that you cant just align the entire university with Donald Trumps stance on a whim, Chris Gaumer, a former Student Government Association president and a 2006 graduate,told CNN.

[Liberty University students protest association with Trump]

Gaumer wrote on Facebook thatLiberty University graduates are ashamed, embarrassed, horrified. And sending back their diplomas is the least we like minded can do.

On Instagram, he also wrote, Many reasons to return LU degree, like a class called Creation Studies, but no reason more important than Falwell Jr. backing Trump backing white supremacists.

Responding to the students criticism on ABCs The Week Sunday, Falwell attempted to clarify his stance and said the students misunderstood him.

Falwell, who attended law school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, said Trump left the door open for the incident to be considered domestic terrorism.

Hehas inside information that I dont have, Falwell said on The Week. I dont know if there were historical purists there who were trying to preserve some statues.

Falwell called the Charlottesville clashes pure evil versus good and said theres no good white supremacist.

I understand how some people could misunderstand his words, Falwell said of Trump. Yes, he could be more polished and politically correct but thats the reason I supported him, because hes not.

Most of Trumps evangelical advisers have refrained from criticizing him for his response to Charlottesville. But on Friday, New York City megachurch pastor A.R. Bernard announced that he had stepped down from the unofficial board of evangelical advisers to Trump, The Washington Posts Sarah Pulliam Bailey reported. Bernards Brooklyn-based Christian Cultural Center, which claims 37,000 in membership, has been described by the New York Times as the largest evangelical church in New York City.

Falwell, son of the late televangelist Jerry Falwell, has served as an essential evangelical voice in support of Trump. In some instances, his university community has followed suit. Students at the school voted overwhelmingly for Trump in November.Of the 3,205 votes cast on campus, Trump took 2,739, while Hillary Clinton received just 140.

As The Posts Joe Heim wrote:

Perhaps no Christian leader in the United States has more closely aligned himself with Trump than Falwell. The Liberty president delivered a glowing tribute to Trump during a campaign visit in January 2016. And his support was critical after the release in October of the Access Hollywood video in which Trump was overheard bragging lewdly about groping and trying to have sex with women. Falwell went to bat for Trump, saying that his comments were reprehensible but that were all sinners, every one of us. Weve all done things we wish we hadnt.

In May,Trump delivered the commencement address to Libertys Class of 2017.

President Trump delivered his first commencement address as president at Liberty University, a Christian school in Lynchburg, Va. (The Washington Post)

Many of the students at Liberty, the nations largest Christian university, have been critical of Trump since before the election. In October, a statement issued by the group Liberty United Against Trump admonished Trump as well as Falwell for defending the then-candidate after he made the vulgar comments about women in the 2005 video. In the weeks that followed, more than 2,000 Liberty students and faculty signed the statement.

Falwell has shown himself to be unabashedly in service of money and power, at the expense of others, not of the message of the gospel he claims, Liberty graduates wrote in the Facebook group for the diploma return protest.He is unfit to lead any institution, but particularly one that professes a moral, ethical, or religious mission.

Many graduates on social media declared their intentions to join the protest and write their own letters to university officials.

Truth is, Ive been ashamed of the source of my diploma since long before Jerry Jr. started backing Trump, one alumna, Lauren Martin Day, wrote on Facebook.Grateful to know there are some other sensible alums decrying that deplorable institution.

She added that she took Liberty University off her resume over a decade ago and never looked back.

In a similar vein, 2002 graduate Rebekah Tilleytold NPR that she no longer wanted to be associated with her alma mater because the name can be so loaded.

Theres such a strong affiliation now between Liberty University and President Trump that you know that reflects badly on all alumni, Tilley said.

Not everyone supported the efforts to return diplomas. Some stood byFalwell, and others criticized the students as snowflakes.

Phil Wagner, who received both his bachelors and masters from Liberty University, told NPR that he disagrees with the presidents comments, he wont be sending back hisdegrees.I earned it, Wagner said. I worked hard for it. But he does plan to send a respectful letter to university officials, he added.

The affiliation between Trump and Falwellis even affecting some prospective students.

Chadwick Brawley, who identified himself as an African American Christian Worship Pastor, wrote that he had beenexcited about enrolling in the Doctor of Worship program at Liberty this month.

Postingon Libertys official Facebook page, Brawley wrote that Christian leaders had a valuable opportunity after the hatred, bigotry and violence in Charlottesville to take a stand.

You used your platform to escalate hate and further divide, Brawley wrote to Falwell. Supporting President Trumps lamentable response to the situation showed me who you are, what you support and how youre aligned politically and spiritually. Because of who I am, I find it extremely difficult to align myself with you and Liberty University. The search begins for other schools at which I may apply; schools that will appreciate my African-American heritage, perspective, gifts, genius and money.

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Liberty University graduates return diplomas because of support for Trump by Jerry Falwell Jr. - Washington Post