The Grand Valley State University Student Senate voted to stop saying the Pledge of Allegiance at its meetings.
The official vote was 22-10 and 10 people abstained from voting.
The GVSU Student Body President Eric-John Szczepaniak said some proponents decided to vote on removing the pledge because it is not entirely inclusive to international students nor non-religious students.
"The Board of Trustees and the faculty governance do not say the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings. Student Senate seeks to cultivate a student body that is engaged, healthy, and empowered," said Szczepaniak.
The Student Senate is the university's student government, and its decision does not reflect an official opinion of the larger university.
"Student Senate seeks to represent the views of the student body. This decision was made in an open process after hearing from students at public comment on both sides of this issue," said Szczepaniak.
While the majority of the Student Senate voted to nix the pledge of allegiance, some members disagree with that decision.
Dorian Thompson, who is on the Student Senate, said his great-grandfather was a U.S. veteran and not reciting the pledge is a "disgrace."
"This means a lot to me," said Thompson. The GVSU senior said the decision was more political in nature, that some senators "seemed to think" they were pledging allegiance to Donald Trump or Mike Pence.
"At the end of the day, I want this to send a message that we should be focusing on issues that unite us instead of dividing us. We need to go back to a time when we had some civility as a country."
State Rep. Lynn Afendoulis, who represents Michigan's 73rd House District in Grand Rapids and is running for Congress in the 3rd District, criticized the decision on Twitter, calling it "disgusting and unacceptable." The freshman state representative also said she would make sure the Student Senate wouldn't receive state funding.
The decision came after some back-and-forth on the issue earlier this fall. The Grand Valley student newspaper, The Lanthorn, reports that the Student Senate previously voted to omit the pledge, then reinstated in October before ultimately voting again.
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