UP students, faculty and staff gathered in the Pilot House on election night to watch as the Associated Press (AP) updated their map of the electoral college. As states were called for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, students faced emotions ranging from nervousness to disappointment.
These were feelings that lasted into the night, when AP declared Donald Trump the winner of the presidential race at 2:34 a.m. PST, and into the coming weeks, where campus community members are questioning how to discuss the divisive results with one another.
While some believe the best way to address the election is to do so head on, others say the line between productive political conversations and harmful ones has become blurry.
In a post-election season that has left many unsure of how to talk about the election, campus community members are initiating discussions about the results in classes and other campus spaces.
The Beacon spoke to campus members from political science, sociology and the Student Wellness Center about how students can navigate post-election feelings and conversations.
How to have conversations with loved ones who feel differently about the election
For Interim Director of the Wellness Center and Coordinator of Interpersonal Violence Programming Erin Currie, political conversations can be emotional and have serious personal impacts. Divisive conversations can put people at risk of losing their systems of support, like family, according to Currie.
“You might lose your home, you might lose your ability to go to college,” Currie said. “You might lose people that you love, and that is a very scary thing, and so it can be very difficult to just have a conversation. It's not just a conversation. It's a decision point. It is a risk in some of those circumstances.”
A student speaks in the Brian Doyle Auditorium during the Election Decompression Session. Dr. Anne Santiago invited all students to decompress at POL 311: Democracy and Diversity.
If talking about the election with loved ones isn’t an option, the classroom can provide an alternative space for students to discuss the election. Associate Professor of Sociology Lauren Alfrey has discussed the election results with students during classes held in the days after Nov. 5.
Alfrey suggests facilitating productive discourse by using first-person language when discussing views or feelings that conflict with those you’re speaking to, both in and out of the classroom.
“I think if people are genuinely interested in having a conversation with someone with whom they disagree, using words like ‘I feel’ or ‘I experience…’ if you want to talk about feelings you're having about the election,” Alfrey said.
Alfrey also says engaging others from a place of curiosity over judgment can produce productive conversations. She lists the use of ‘I wonder’ or ‘could you tell me’ as examples to help students get a lift-off on non-accusatory conversations with those of differing views.
Associate Professor of Political Science Jeffrey Meiser says that hesitancy to speak about the election, even in spaces like classrooms, can be attributed to the precedent Donald Trump has established for political conversations.
“[Trump’s] whole political strategy overall is to attack people and often attack people for their identity,” Meiser said. “And so how do you respond to that if your identity is being attacked? It really draws out a lot of emotions.”
According to Meiser, distinguishing a hurtful conversation from a productive one is a necessary first step toward productive dialogue.
“You can definitely learn from hearing other people's ideas,” Meiser said. “But when you're feeling personally hurt, you're not in a learning mode. You're in a very basic, reactive fight or flight mode. And so there's no learning.”
Currie also says the first step towards productive conversations is identifying whether you’re ready for divisive conversations in the first place. While the best time and place to have political conversations isn’t the same for everyone, Currie acknowledges the value of pushing conversations off until you feel better prepared and supported to face divisive dialogue.
To leave conversations treading unproductive territory, Meiser suggests stating your boundaries — even in scenarios where that requires vulnerability.
Using phrases like “what you’re saying is actually really hurting me right now” are examples of how to honestly exit conversations with loved ones, according to Meiser.
Ultimately, when to engage further or leave a conversation is a personal choice. For some, leaving a tense conversation is a necessary step towards prioritizing their well-being.
“But if you're talking about some larger, existential, theoretical future, ‘someday, maybe you'll change your mind’ conversation, or a real, immediate threat, you're gonna choose,” Currie said. “Many people will choose to stay safe, to stay supported, to keep the people that they love in their life.”
Taking time away from social media
While in the days before and after the election many relied on social media to track presidential campaigns, one step towards reducing post-election stress is to limit time on social media.
Alfrey says her work as a sociologist has revealed how social media is polarizing because of how algorithms control what people see.
“I personally have to be more intentional about how I consume, and when I consume, news,” Alfrey said. “Social media, given how it works algorithmically, is priming people to receive information that is probably going to support their viewpoints and also for that information, to capture their attention and keep them on those platforms, to be … dramatic or alarmist.”
Prioritizing nourishing activity
Though taking time off from social media is a subtractive way to manage post-election stress, prioritizing nourishing activities can add self-care into your daily routine.
Alfrey says one way to push through challenging emotions is to prioritize your physical health through performing manageable tasks, like eating snacks or spending time outdoors. These acts of self-care are essential for dealing with grief, Alfrey says.
“Make sure you nourish yourself right,” Alfrey said. “It's [doing] really basic things right now to just make sure that you are self-compassionate and doing what's necessary to get through the day as your best self.”
Find community on campus
Though politics surrounds people both in person and online, sharing your feelings with close ones and fostering community on campus remains the most direct way of engaging with your peers as a means of emotional support.
“Authoritarianism thrives when people are afraid and when they turn inward,” Alfrey said. “And so I think this is a really important time for people to make sure that they are turning outward, that they're not feeling overwhelmed and that they're not feeling disempowered, even if that means right now, like taking time for self care and grief and doing what's necessary to sort of just stay sane.”
Furthermore, having a supportive community can help recognize where your control over politics begins and ends.
“Change happens more often than not in little steps,” Currie said. “And each one of those little steps is so important, so whether that's taking care of yourself by seeking out community… whether that's going to see a counselor, or whether that's going and learning about people who are different from yourself so that you aren't reliving past decisions in ways that might not be helpful.”
On-campus resources for post-election stress
For students looking to foster community post-election, the Student Wellness Center provides interpersonal health and prevention resources for students, including counseling groups.
Open since October, the University’s new Center for Gender and Sexuality is also fostering community on campus for LGBTQ+ students. The Center hosts events and drop-in hours for campus community members Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Additionally, Bridge UP is the University’s chapter of Bridge USA, a student organization with 63 chapters around America, with the goal of teaching students how to navigate conflicts and find solutions across political differences. The club’s next meeting will be on Dec. 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Dundon-Berchtold Hall room 130.
Camille Kuroiwa-Lewis is the Living Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at kuroiwal26@up.edu.
