News
Election results cause an upset in more ways than one
By Emily Eisler ’17
November 10, 2016
Tags news
Donald Trump came out on top Tuesday night when he won the presidency over Hillary Clinton in a major upset. The Hamilton College community spent the election engaged in lively discussion and debate, finally coming together on Nov. 8 to watch Trump’s shocking victory to a range of responses.
Though the race was extremely close throughout most of the night, with many swing states being won by only one or two percent, Trump edged into the presidency with 279 electoral college votes. At press time, Hillary Clinton had only collected 228 due to the loss of crucial previously blue states such as Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. This result completely refuted almost every prediction pollsters and the media had made about the outcome of this election, stunning political scientists. As of Wednesday afternoon, it did seem that Clinton had won the popular vote, though it will not cancel out Trump’s electoral college victory.
The Hamilton College Government Department, along with the Hamilton Democrats and Republicans, hosted an event in the Sadove Student Center Tuesday night for students to come together and watch the election returns with professors from the department. While Professors Klinkner and Rosenfeld of the Government Department did an alumni live stream, students interacted with the department, getting their explanation for the result. Charles D. Dunst ’18 said of the night, “While Donald Trump certainly surprised us by winning, we as Democrats should be proud of our electoral victories, including the repudiation of anti-LGBT Governor McCrory [of North Carolina], along with the three women of color winning Senate seats.”
The mood the next day on campus felt incredibly somber, some students noted. Anna O’Keefe ’18 stated, “Walking across campus this morning, the entire campus seemed to be in mourning,” and mentioned the number of students who seemed visibly distressed. Many students are still figuring out their exact feelings about Trump’s shocking victory. For most of his opponents, however, the reality of Donald Trump’s potential as president has set in. “The real travesty here is the amount of rollbacks on civil liberties and general progress that will happen under a Trump presidency. I can’t imagine an America under Trump where I have the same access to life, liberty and happiness as my white, straight cis-male counterparts. What a sad day in the history of this country—where making ‘America Great Again’ literally translates into ripping the wounds of hatred and bigotry open once more all for the sake of letting a reality television ‘star’ become a world leader,” Janika Beatty ’17 stated. A Hamilton student who voted for Trump but did not want to be identified by name told The Spectator that she was happy her candidate had won and was optimistic about his future tenure.
President David Wippman addressed the College via all-campus email Wednesday, stating, “On our campus, we will find opportunities in the days and months ahead to discuss the meaning and significance of this election. But we are more than just an academic institution. We are a community, and what affects one of us affects all of us.” He then reinforced the need for an inclusive and supportive environment at Hamilton. The Peer Counselors and the Chaplaincy also sent out emails reminding students that they are available for those who want a space to talk and process their feelings about the election results. BLSU and Cultural Affairs also held an informal open conversation for people to express their feelings on Wednesday night.