American University today released the following statement ahead of the U.S. House of Representatives’ scheduled vote tomorrow on H.R. 51, the “Washington, D.C. Admission Act”:

“American University supports D.C. statehood and voting representation for the more than 700,000 residents, including our students, who study, work, and live in this great city. Our students hail from every single state across the country, and many are especially active on this issue and believe that statehood is long overdue,” said AU President Sylvia M. Burwell. “For more than a century, AU has promoted the values of leadership and service—principles closely aligned with the tenets of democracy and equality that built our nation—and we believe that it is wrong that the people of Washington, DC, are not currently afforded the same voting rights and representation as other citizens of our nation.”