Written by: Alexis Dewey
From social media meltdowns to celebratory get-togethers, Americans have been reacting to the 2024 presidential election results in various ways. Students, faculty and staff at Southern Adventist University are no exception.
While many students were hesitant to expose their political affiliations, most were still willing to share their perspectives.
Alli Davis, a sophomore pre-physical therapy major, said that although her day-to-day life has not changed, she has seen many negative, polarizing political posts on social media since the election concluded.
“My environment has not changed, but I have seen people, a lot more people, who are on one side, being a lot more harsh about who you voted for,” Davis said.
Davis elaborated that the side she perceived as the more “harsh” was the side that voted for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I haven’t heard from the other side as much,” she said. “Personally, I haven’t seen it. But the one side has definitely been very pushy about how they believe and what their opinions are.”
Marvin Peraza, a junior history and political science major, shared his experience as the son of Hispanic immigrants. Peraza said he has seen a shift on social media since the results of the election were announced.
“I have definitely lost Instagram followers even though I only posted [that] I attended a [Harris] watch party,” Peraza said. “A lot of people’s true colors have come to light after this election.”
With the election of Trump, Peraza said he feels uncertain about the next four years.
“As a first generation Latino American, this election was about more than just the president,” he said. “Many of my family members could be affected by legislation put into place in the near future.”
Carl Patterson, associate dean of Talge Hall, said he felt indifferent to the election outcome. He explained that while national elections impact him, they are ultimately out of his control.
“I get to vote, and I think that’s where it ends,” Patterson said. “I think there [are] too many rich, powerful people behind things on both sides of the coin, and they’re going to run things the way they want to anyways.”
Justin Childers, senior business administration major, said he has not seen much of an uproar on social media this year compared to past elections.
“I feel like this election was less hyped than the last one,” Childers said in an interview with the Accent. “I feel like no one is really posting anything.”
Childers said he feels that although he wanted Trump to win, more people voted for him than he imagined.
“I was surprised with how many states he won. It was kind of like a landslide, I guess you could say,” he said.
Liz Livergood, a senior political science major, shared her difficulties navigating her emotions post-election.
“Personally, I was very frustrated with my preferred party and the overall state of American politics,” she said. “It isn’t easy seeing the people you love feel scared and nervous.”
To cope with the stress and avoid feeling overwhelmed, Livergood said she’s trying to keep sight of where she can help as an individual.
“I’ve tried to focus on an action-oriented response,” she said. “Staying involved with my community and with organizations in line with my beliefs has helped so much with certain stressors.”
Briana Hanson, junior film production major, expressed her concern about the presidential race.
“Because of Trump winning the election, certain groups within the far right have become empowered to express racism and misogyny in such an extreme way, that I totally understand why some people might be fearful to express their upset at the election or talk about politics in general.” Hanson said, “If these [far-right] people feel so empowered to express such hatred, I fear for what kind of country America might become.”
Hanson’s comments were in reference to two incidents: one where racist texts were sent anonymously to Black people nationwide saying they would be sent to plantations and another from Nick Fuentes— a right-wing influencer who has come under scrutiny for posting on X “Your body, my choice,” after the election results.
Arianna Moretta, senior social work major, said she is feeling shocked by the outcome of the election. She stated that she knew the race was going to be close, but never thought Trump would beat Harris.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen people as divided as I have since this election,” she said. “I have seen so many people who wanted to immediately terminate relationships with anyone who voted for Trump.”
Although Moretta doesn’t condone people being hateful towards those who voted differently, or for their beliefs, she understands where they are coming from.
“Whenever I see people being so angry and wanting to cut off anyone, I really can’t blame them. Because, to be honest, I’m terrified after this election,” Moretta said. “I feel hurt that our country has chosen to ignore the racist remarks, the hateful remarks, that he [Trump] has made.”
Madeleine Miyashiro, a sophomore English major, spoke about her view of the election and how she has navigated the opinions of those around her.
She believes her parents can be extreme on one side, but her friends are extreme in the opposite direction.
Miyashiro said she was put in a group chat of people who, when they found out Trump won the election, were devastated and thought the world was going to end.
Miyashiro said the way she copes with the pull of opinions is making sure she is educated and fully listens to those around her.
