Americans of all political parties reacted in shock upon receiving the news that Donald Trump had won the race for the United States presidency. The following day, the rainy weather in New York City matched the gloomy mood of many New Yorkers. The ambiance on the campus of The New School was somber as many students walked around in a noticeable state of dejection. There were many tears on that day.
“The problem isn’t Trump, it’s his supporters. The majority of his supporters are the issue,” said Jess, a freshman at Lang. This is just one of the dozens of opinions voiced about Donald Trump’s election and his coming presidency, which came as a surprise to many students and faculty at The New School.
The majority of classes at The New School on Wednesday following the results of the election took the form of a support group. Professors offered the time when students would ordinarily be engaged in their classwork, to express their reactions to the election results and discuss this outcome with their classmates.
In addition to this time being offered to students during classes, the university sent out several emails university-wide offering “safe spaces for processing” that allowed students to gather and have a dialogue about their opinions on the election.
“It’s really all that anyone is talking about,” said Lang freshman Leyah Caplin. “I’ve been to all four of my classes and we’ve talked about it in all of them. It’s no longer just a scary thing that could happen. It’s already a reality and it’s affecting so many people’s lives.”
In true New School spirit–being that university was founded on principles and belief in civic engagement and social justice–it didn’t take long for this sadness to change into action and protest.
On Thursday, university students organized a university walk-out, during which hundreds of students gathered on the sidewalk in front of the University Center on Fifth Avenue. As the protest grew, it moved to Washington Square Park, and later Union Square. Students chanted, protested, and expressed their solidarity while dozens of passers-by and people driving in cars stopped to take in what was happening. Many people who stumbled upon this protest stopped to record the events on their smartphones and others joined in the chants in protest of Trump election into office.
Just by walking around the campus, it seems that the majority of students and faculty at The New School felt a real sense of disbelief in reaction to the results of the 2016 election.
“I got really scared for my friends that are people of color and in the LGBTQ community because of their reactions,” said New School student John Tatlock. “People were scared to walk outside and scared to go to class the next day. In the whole city, everything was gray and gloomy… everyone was just really quiet.”
Despite the overall feeling of disappointment and defeat that many New School students are feeling amidst this election, some are trying their best to remain optimistic in these circumstances. No matter what or how we feel, the fact of the matter is that Trump has been elected as the president of the United States.
“Now is not the time to divide the country further. I think you have to be optimistic. You have to at least try to work with the evil. Don’t necessarily join it, but make it better,” Jess said.
Photo:Alexi Rosenfeld