How UCLA is faring three weeks after the election

Who knows what these next 4 years will be like

It’s been almost three weeks since the big night, but things have not died down at UCLA.

The night of the election, hundreds of students took to Westwood to protest Drumpf’s presidential win. The next evening, they went out again. And the following Thursday morning, a group of students met outside Kerckhoff for a peaceful “Love Drumpfs Hate” rally.

About 300 people showed up to the rally to listen to speakers at an open mic. Afterwards, they marched around campus with posters, chanting things like “the people, united, will never be divided,” “say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here” and “we reject the president elect.”

On Wednesday, November 9, a Post-Election Discussion was held in De Neve Auditorium for anyone looking to speak their mind. The discussion started with a graduate student explaining his insightful research surrounding the election, making the events nonetheless horrifying but a bit more understandable.

Among his findings is much evidence to suggest that Islamophobia and racism were incredibly huge factors in his following, more than any other Republican candidate in history. And while Hilary had more endorsements than ever by the Democratic primaries, the Donald had the least amount of endorsements from Republicans in history even on the day of the election.

Furthermore, anti-Drumpf ad campaigns may not have started early enough. Few of Drumpf’s opponents took him seriously at first, so they neglected to campaign against him until the primaries; during this time, many republican voters may have latched onto the Drumpf train. History shows that voters are often undecided by the time primaries roll around, but once they decide, it is very difficult to change their mind.

Now, as the next presidential cabinet is revealed, tensions continue to run high. Professors are still afraid to make jokes, knowing that it’s too soon. The On-Campus Housing Council is actively looking for ways to bring counseling services to students on The Hill, while “safe space” gatherings circulate UCLA Facebook groups.

Students are reacting to the protests in several ways. For example, many notes have been placed around campus with positive messages of hope and resilience.

Others are responding with continued protests and rallies. Wednesday the 16th, UCLA and USC both had students participate in the nationwide walk-out. And just yesterday morning, a small group gathered outside Powell to protest the election.

Even still, some turn to Facebook posts and Tweets about solidarity.

Speaking of social media, something must be said for the amount of technology that is used to voice opinions about the election. From sharing Facebook events, to posting opinions, to retweeting election memes, there is so much information circulating the web among students.

In regards to this notion,  UCLA freshman Chenchen Wang commented, “our generation is the most tech savvy. Technology is incredibly mobilizing, and no other generation has had as much access to this. We can mobilize people who are willing to stand up.” The first-year Applied Linguistics and English double major added, “The protests allow us to put our foot down and have a global impact. I’m really proud of these students who care to show their solidarity with people from all different groups.”

Living in California, the majority of our population is on the liberal side. It’s not surprising that the bright young kids of this generation are quick to exercise their rights to free speech and peaceful protest in the midst of a chaotic time.

“I think it’s really good to know that college students still care about our future. But this is the law, there’s no way we can change the president, so what’s the protest for? It’s really about getting our voice heard,” explains Renee Hsu, a first year business economics major. “If we state our reasons why we hate Donald Drumpf more clearly, then maybe others will start to understand. The only thing we can do now is to hope that in the future we will not vote for someone like him.”

As an international student, Hsu is concerned not only about her place in America but the grand scheme of international relations. “It’s good that he did not win the majority. That way other countries know, the majority of our people did not support this,” she says.

Although most people seem to be on board, there is definitely still cause for skepticism among students. There are a lot of emotions surrounding the election, and it’s easy to question people’s motives to protest when there are other ways of making a difference.

Hannah Vega embodies these concerns. “I feel a lot of ways. I think it’s good that [the protests] are not dying out – they shouldn’t die out. I hope that students know why they are protesting,” said the first-year undeclared student. “I want them to understand why they are protesting Donald Drumpf, not just to say ‘fuck Drumpf.’ When I hear that, knowing victims of race and racism, it minimizes the impact and it minimizes the issue.”

There are many questions left to be answered about how this election will affect the future of America and our current students. We must hope that change will be effected, or that this presidency will be surprisingly beneficial. In the meantime, we can continue to use our voices how we see fit.

UCLA, it’s time to fight fight fight.

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