Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from Eric Sieger, director of media relations for Carleton College.

A petition started Thursday from a group of alumni and friends of Carleton College urges the school to publicly oppose the proposed Minnesota marriage amendment.

On Nov. 6, Minnesotans will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman—which would limit marriage to opposite sex couples.

The petition reads:

We, the undersigned alumni and friends of Carleton College, call on Carleton College to take an official and public stance opposing the proposed amendment to the Minnesota constitution. The proposed amendment would limit the status of marriage to opposite sex couples. 

We believe that this issue is one of civil and human rights and respect, not simply a matter of political opinion. Carleton has a long standing commitment to maintaining a LGBT-friendly community. Carleton should continue supporting LGBT individuals, by publicly opposing the proposed constitutional amendment.

We support those Minnesotans and Americans who want the same rights, freedoms, opportunity, respect, dignity, legal protections and legal opportunities as every other one of their fellow citizens.

The petition comes on the heels of Augsburg College on Wednesday publicly opposing the marriage amendment.

Augsburg College, a private Minneapolis liberal arts college associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was the second higher educational institution in Minnesota to publicly oppose the marriage amendment, according to Minnesotans United for All Families. The school, which has an enrollment of 4,000 students, joined Capella University, which publicly opposed the amendment last month.

In June, more than 250 people gathered at Carleton's Weitz Center for Creativity in support of Rice County Votes No, an effort to defeat the proposed amendment.

Eric Sieger, director of media relations for Carleton, had the following to say when asked about the petition.

"We'll be communicating with our internal community about this and other election matters and policies in the days ahead. Once we've had a chance to communicate to our campus, we'll be able to comment publicly," he said.

As of 10 a.m. Saturday, the petition had 228 signatures and had been recommended on Facebook 158 times. A Facebook group called Carleton Alumni for Marriage Equality has also started.

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