Ellie Owen & Donald Keough, Editor-in-Chief & News Editor–
After a long night of tracking election results, campus felt solemn as students moved from class to class on Nov. 6.
The turbulent and divisive race for who would become the 47th President of the United States was officially over. It ended relatively early compared to the four-day long vote count that followed the previous presidential election in 2020.
Former President Donald Trump was officially declared the winner on Nov. 6 at 5:41 a.m. by the Associated Press.
Many students still feel very strongly about the election season.
“I still feel anxious,” said Maya Anderson ‘27, a first-time voter. “I’m just overwhelmed by it, mostly because of all the factors that went into it, and people’s reactions to it and everything. It’s just a lot.”
Anderson was one of the students who went to the post-election reflection space hosted by the Center for Belonging and Inclusion on Nov. 6. There, students were encouraged to reflect on the election, as well as describe how they were feeling.
During the reflection meeting, Anderson expressed how she felt eager to remain involved politically.
“I’m still very invested,” Anderson said. “I want to start grassroots efforts, do more activism, and more community building. At the end of the day, I love community building.”
The results of the election drew a variety of reactions from students, and Anderson also added that she felt the results added to her anxiety.
Ezekiel Peebles, the CEO and clinical director of Key Counseling and Consultation was invited to join the students during the reflection. After the discussion with students, Peebles shared how he thought students might be feeling.
“I think the letdown is very real for a lot of students, because they found themselves being invested in something, and elections are a long process, especially this one,” Peebles said. “When you get behind a candidate, you start to believe that this is your person, that they’re going to fight for things that are real for you. Student loan forgiveness, women’s rights, whatever that is, and when it doesn’t go your way, it’s almost like grief and loss.”
Along with this, Peebles also described how students also have to balance their regular work load on top of the stress that might be caused by the election.
Many of the students at the reflection meeting, like Anderson, were first-time voters in this election, which added another layer of complexity to the election process.
“It’s a really different place [for students], and it’s a new, uncharted water or territory that [students have] never been in before, and that’s going to take time to process that,” Peebles said.
As students begin to unwind, Peebles suggested a variety of ways that students can lower stress levels. One of the biggest impacts on students’ mental health that Peebles discussed was the use of social media.
“There’s a whole lot that’s coming through [social media], and not all of it is positive, and not everybody’s going to celebrate the results,” Peebles said. “There are some that will be, but by and large, you’ve got to limit social media usage.”
Another stress reliever that Peebles recommended for students was taking part in physical activities like taking walks or going to the gym. He also encouraged students to build and utilize connections with each other.
“If you don’t do those things, and you don’t find the social side of things, then you’re just going to school, getting your academics done and still feeling a great deal of stress,” Peebles said. “So you’ve got to find your outlets if you’re a student, because those things are going to keep you grounded.”
One of the major factors that have affected students has been the polarization they have felt between different parties, and navigating their distaste for another candidate is another challenge.
“I mean, you may dislike that candidate, but what about your roommate that was two floors down or two doors down that identifies as a Republican,” Peebles said. “There are a myriad of things that they have to kind of figure out.”
One student at the reflection meeting, Tony Baldovinos ‘25, shared his thoughts on how he has been dealing with the differences he faces with those with different views than himself. His biggest point was to remain sympathetic toward one another.
“It’s all about [your] lens,” Baldovinos said. “For example, I care about democracy, and that’s one of the reasons I voted for Kamala. Another person might have different [concerns] and I won’t ever know inherently why that other person [does], but I want to understand that. Understanding can get us to think [about] how we can work together.”
Baldovinos also emphasized the importance of empathy for one another.
“I think empathy is really strong because empathy ties us [together] and helps alleviate the other person’s burden,” Baldovinos said. “I think we don’t have that right now, and I think we’re very polarized.”
In the wake of the election, there was also programming on Nov. 6 to help students learn more about the impact of the election.
DU Votes hosted a panel called “What Just Happened? Post-Election Professor Panel,” that took place in Slayter Auditorium.
The panel featured Economics professor and Director of International Studies Quentin Duroy, Politics and Public Affairs Assistant Professor Anthony Ives, Managing Editor of The Reporting Project Julia Lerner, and Politics and Public Affairs Assistant Professor Andrew McWard.
The panel was organized by DU Votes, Denison’s non-partisan student organization aimed at getting students registered to vote and encouraging civic engagement on campus. Director of Civic Education Events Annie Whitley ‘26 came up with the idea and Outreach Director Katie Houpt ‘26 organized the event. The panel was moderated by Co-Coordinator AJ Hartwick ‘25 and Outreach Director Quinn Greene ‘26.
“We wanted to provide a space for students to voice their concerns and ask policy related questions to receive clarity on what now officially [is going to] happen under the president elect’s administration,” said Greene.
Greene thought the event went well and was very respectful. She liked that it allowed professors from different departments to come together and use their shared knowledge to help answer questions.
“We wanted to expand discourse on campus by collaborating with different departments in the panel,” she said.
The panel covered everything from how the election would impact the country’s relationship with China to sexism in politics and Americans’ trust in the media.
One student asked about the main reasons why Kamala Harris lost the election.
McWard, who has focused his research and teachings on international politics, compared the results of this election to elections outside of the US.
“It comes down to incumbents worldwide were just really hurt,” said McWard.
Ives agreed and explained that not everyone is aligned with the incumbent policy right now, which might not be linked to how well Kamala Harris’ team ran her campaign.
“Biden has a 38% approval rating, people didn’t like how things were going and wanted a change,” Ives said.
During the discussion, a student asked about dictatorships and whether or not that would be a concern with Trump’s second term as president.
Lerner spoke first about dictatorships and their link to freedom of the press.
“That’s the canary in the coal mine, is when there is not a free press, when there is not a free democracy, when journalists are operating in fear under threat of violence,” said Lerner.
Lerner mentioned that Donald Trump has frequently threatened his opponents and the press multiple times before, describing his past words as “reaching across the aisle to totalitarianism.”
“In the journalism industry, this is something that we are very afraid of. It doesn’t mean we will stop doing journalism of course. It means it makes journalism more important as we look ahead,” she said.
McWard also brought up Project 2025, a set of policies that could be implemented with the new Trump administration. He discussed how many civil servants that are typically neutral could be replaced with partisan appointees and how that would take away constraints on the executive branch. This could start a pattern where people are voting in a completely new executive branch with each election.
“So it’s still a democracy because you’re still voting every four years, but the impact of that vote is incredibly, incredibly significant and I’m not saying that will happen, but it’s still a possibility and it’s one aspect that might become much less democratic,” he said.
Near the end, the conversation shifted to education and how people nationwide could become more informed about politics.
Ives brought up citizenship education, where people would be taught as highschoolers to find something they’re passionate about and reach out to local politicians to learn more about specific issues.
“You can actually learn something different about politics if it were taught in a somewhat different way,” he said.