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Hamilton responds to election results: support and discussion

By Rylee Carrillo-Wagner ’19

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Students who stayed awake for the entirety of the election did not go to bed until four in morning on Wednesday. Facebook walls were filled with joy and high spirits, or with shock, anger and sadness. A number of students reached out to President Wippman late last night and early this morning, asking for the College as an institution to recognize the violence that they felt in the election results. Furthermore, multiple students reported being verbally harassed by Trump-supporting students driving in a truck Tuesday night, shouting both racist and sexist slurs at the students. The attacked students, joined by many others, ask: are these strongly present concerns, which are consuming the thoughts and lives of a large portion of the student body, going to be addressed? 

President Wippman sent out the following message to the Hamilton community: “The election campaign has laid bare deep rifts in our society. We can hope that Americans from across the political spectrum will now work to heal some of these divisions. 

On our campus, we will find opportunities in the days and months ahead to discuss the meaning and significance of the election. But we are more than just an academic institution. We are a community, and what affects one of us affects all of us. 

Our ability to shape what happens off campus is, of course, modest, but we can all look for ways to help the country come together and move forward. And on this campus we can – and will – continue to foster an inclusive and supportive environment.” 

When asked on behalf of the Deans and administration at large, Dean Nancy Thompson commented: “I am aware that Campus Safety is investigating a report of someone in a vehicle shouting rude remarks at students walking on Martin’s Way. The Bias Incident Response Team will review the incident and determine an appropriate response. As always, student safety is our paramount concern. Students who feel threatened should report incidents with as much detail as possible so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.” 

She continued, “As for events, Chaplain Jeff McArn and [Associate] Dean [of Students for Multicultural Affairs and Accessibility Services] Allen Harrison hosted a discussion today at 4 pm on the third floor of the Chapel, and conversations are taking place all over campus with faculty, administrators and student groups creating space for sharing thoughts and reactions. I am certain there will be other events and gatherings as our community seeks to understand the results of the election and its consequences, so stay tuned.” 

Still, students continue to voice their concerns and struggles pertaining to the election. On Wednesday night, the BLSU and Cultural Affairs held a meeting in Sadove living room. Students, mainly of color, as well as some student allies, faculty and staff, sat in the packed room for over three hours talking about the their fears and concerns for the physical and mental well being of their own lives, as well as the lives of their family and close friends. They spoke to their backgrounds, to histories of violence and oppression; to their future and their families’ futures. Students spoke to the challenges of explaining the election to younger siblings and cousins; to the exhaustion they face from constantly fighting and surviving both on campus and in the real world. Those who talked all spoke to a similar feeling, that these conversations and these struggles never end, and that this election highlighted the continued plight that many Hamilton students face.

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