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Gutmann: "I Meant Sanctuary, The Band"

President Amy Gutmann made a big announcement this morning, proclaiming via email that Penn "is and has always been a sanctuary" for undocumented students. In the email, she also stated that the various federal immigration enforcement groups will not be allowed on campus without a warrant. Without using the exact phrase, Gutmann has declared the University of Pennsylvania a sanctuary campus.

Or at least, she had. Amy Gutmann called UTB (the leading news publication on campus) to clarify her statement, and distance herself from the email.

"Members of the administration put that email together at my behest, but they fundamentally misinterpreted my point," Gutmann insisted. "I told them nothing more than to make public that Penn is a Sanctuary campus, and they went and wrote all that stuff. I meant Sanctuary, the band."

Administrators at Penn assumed that Gutmann meant for the campus to be a safe place, a sanctuary, for undocumented students pursuing higher education. Gutmann, however, was unaware of this interpretation until the email was already sent.

"I love 80s and 90s metal, and Sanctuary is one of my favorite bands. Refuge Denied? A classic! Into the Mirror Black? Come on. Any real thrash metal fans would have known what I was talking about." 

When asked why she would have wanted to declare Penn a Sanctuary campus if she was talking about the band, Gutmann's answer was simple. "It's about time Sanctuary got the recognition they deserve. They're releasing a new album soon, and I wanted to show them that the world is waiting."

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