Classes across the country canceled due to election results
professors urged their students to ‘plan for the future’
Due to the upset of the presidential election last night, college professors across America have canceled class. Some have done so to have a stress-free day, others to take time to get over the results of the election. But is it in their students’ best interest to cancel class?
Political affiliation is not an excuse for students to miss class, so why should it be one for professors? One professor at Florida State University canceled both class and office hours in order to take a “mental health day” because of the results. As new voters, we now understand that election day is stressful, but canceling class because of one day out of four years seems a bit extreme. Especially with the end of the semester right around the corner, this last month of classes is crucial to our learning. Just because Trump won, does not mean college students lose our right to an education as well.
Fellow students of mine at FSU have been taking their opinion about professors canceling class to Facebook and Twitter. Some have called this an outrage and an insult to their education. Others have said that they felt like they should send their professors strongly worded emails, even though they agree with their professor’s political beliefs. Our country’s future might be in limbo right now, but our generation’s education should not be.
It’s not just Florida State professors that have cancelled class, but professors around the country – an English professor at Temple University in Philadelphia canceled class because of the election as well. Professors need to understand that the electoral vote map based on millennial beliefs agreed with their political views, so they are not the only ones who are stressed about the future – their students most likely agree with them.
It is time for our generation to take a stand for what we believe in. Right now it might be our right to an education, unbiased from political affiliations. But tomorrow, it’s our future. And to get through these next four years, we need to take a stand for what’s right and plan for our future.