Last week, Grand Valley State University’s student senate voted to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings. Most of the students feel the pledge represents an oppressive government and is non-inclusive. The official vote count was 22-10.

Student senator Dorian Thompson told The College Fix, “The arguments to remove it were to create an inclusive environment, that it represented an oppressive government, and that there are international students that we should be representing.”

“Of course our country doesn’t have the brightest past with human rights issues, but with liberty and justice for all, that says right there no matter what interesting times we are in we will always rise above it and go forward and not backwards,” Thompson said.

The pledge wasn’t part of the meetings after some committee chairs secretly decided to do away with the pledge prior to the beginning of fall semester. Thompson motioned to bring it back, unfortunately his effort failed.

Another student senator Lansing Sánchez-Castillo told Fox 17 News, “We are representing a diverse population here and that specific language doesn’t sit with this diverse population and fully representing them.”

Spokesperson for the Student Senate Ryan Fritz claims the pledge is non-inclusive to international students, as well as non-Christian and non-religious students.

Thompson has plans to reintroduce the issue with the Student Senate.

“[M]ake this no mistake, the fight is not over,” Thomas wrote on his Facebook page. “No matter if I continue to serve on this body or decide that they do not represent my values and leave, I will do everything in my power to fight this disgraceful act. God bless our flag, and may God bless our great country.”