lifelong friends, and have new experiences. At this point in time, students need to feel as
if their voices matter and that they have a sense of belonging, whether it be with a small
group of friends or in a larger community. It can be one of the most rewarding times of
their lives, but there can also be a lot of stress. Unfortunately, there has been a drastic
change in the University of Marylands school climate, and much has originated with the
controversy surrounding the 2016 election cycle. The two groups we will be focusing on
are the two groups that seem to not have much representation but have been greatly
affected, which are white students that voted for the Republican Party and minority
students that are being directly affected by the new government. All of these changes and
what seems to be the lack of advocacy for these two groups has negatively affected many
peoples overall college experience, as well as their mental health because they dont feel
Throughout the course of our interview process, we discovered that many white
students feel underrepresented and shut out from the conversation with a majority of the
student population just for having political beliefs that differ from everyone elses. This
has put a strain on their education, motivation, and the social interactions that they have
with their peers as well as with their professors. Many of them feel that they are being
unfairly judged and persecuted when voicing their opinions, and they feel isolated from
their peer groups for having different viewpoints. However, this controversial subject
goes further than just our white students. It also has a major effect on the multiracial
students or students from other ethnic backgrounds,such as the students in the Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, those with student visas, and those
whose immediate family members may be living in the U.S undocumented. This can all
lead to anxiety, depression, and a lack of motivation in the students to attend their classes
because they fear either being bullied or they just have so much to deal with that school is
not their main priority. We as a community have created a political and racial gap
amongst ourselves, and as a result, our peers are feeling anxious, depressed, isolated,
bullied, unmotivated and, worst of all, that their opinion does not matter or isnt wanted
The most recent presidential election was wrought with turmoil and disagreement,
and it created an atmosphere that was negative and uncomfortable for many students. On
a campus that is largely liberal, it can be hard for the more conservative students to feel
like they have a voice. In the days following the news of Trumps shocking victory,
protests erupted across the country, including at the University of Maryland, in response
to some of Trumps more inflammatory policies and rhetoric. While these demonstrations
may have brought his opponents closer together, it has also made those who voted for
him feel very left out and shunned from any political conversation. Taylor Rose, a student
at the University of Maryland who we spoke to about voting for Trump, said that voicing
his opinion is now much more difficult because it tends to result in heated arguments. He
says that one of these discussions ended with a girl he knew actually yelling at him. As a
said that she kept her support for Trump private because she was afraid of losing her
friends (Schwartz). This negative atmosphere that has formed in the wake of Trumps
appointment can be isolating to numerous students, and although Trump supporters won
This negative environment has also had an undesirable effect on the general
motivation for many students. Gabby Vila, a Trump supporter, is very interested in public
policy, and she loves to talk about politics. However, she will not discuss politics with
people who did not vote for Trump. Taylor Rose said that it was much harder for him to
muster up the enthusiasm to attend his classes in the days following the election because,
to him, it felt as if every class he went to was discussing Trump, the conservative voters,
and the new government in a negative light. No one can fault teachers for having
opinions on the clashing politics that sweep the nation, but many students do not expect
their professors to make them feel like their opinions are worthless. It creates a
destructive learning environment and does not foster a drive to attend class. All in all,
conservatives have been left feeling very frustrated at the hostility and persecution that
they have been facing from fellow students and even teachers, many just wishing for
Another group that is affected by the recent election cycle is the collection of
immigrant minority students that have had their lives uprooted by the executive decisions
made in the White House. These feelings of isolation and anxiety from both groups of
people on campus have affected their right to pursue and receive education. When
was coming back to the United States from Iran, it sparked another campus protest that
opposed the Trump presidency. Mohammadi was not the only one affected by the court
order. In fact, some 350 people were affected in the UMD campus community (Prudente,
2017). What would happen to me? What do I do if they dont let me into the country?
are questions that plague the minds of many immigrant students who are currently afraid
to leave the United States for study abroad programs in fear of detainment and being
unable to return (Collins, 2017). Many students live in uncertainty about what will
happen with the Trump presidency in following weeks, months, or years. Hauwa Muazu,
an immigrant from Nigeria, is staying here as an International student, and she said that
once these steps are taken to isolate and detain immigrants, its very hard to go back to
day-to-day life. Even though Nigeria is not currently affected by the ban, she feels that
the uncertainty of what will happen in the future has made her lose interest in the quality
of education she is receiving because now she only wants to get a degree as soon as
possible. Currently in her junior year, Muazu changed her mind on doing a graduate
program after her completing her undergraduate degree and has decided to go back to
Nigeria in case she will not be coming back in the future (Muazu, 2017). This sentiment
is echoed during the interview process by many of the immigrant students who are
currently living in the United States on student visas. They feel that the time, effort, and
money that they have already invested at the University of Maryland might amount to
These feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and lack of motivation along with the
already stressful life of being a college student has changed the campus climate for the
worse. For the immigrant students, living in a nation that elected a president whose
policies and foundation were based on discrimination and whose own words paint him to
be a moral and physical hazard, and that makes it difficult for them to look at the future in
a positive light. Although the new and revised travel bans signed by President Trump are
being banned or put on hold by federal judges, the distrust in the government by the
majority of immigrants has only increased. This negative climate has only made it harder
for the two different groups of students to communicate and come together to create a
positive environment.
This past presidential election has affected many students and is still a problem in
our community. This includes but is not limited to the white students, regardless of
whether or not they voted for the Republican Party, and the minority students who are
being directly affected by the new government administration and all of its new executive
orders. Sometimes we do not realize that we are overlooking or disregarding these groups
in our population because oftentimes they dont voice their opinions as much as other
students due to fear that their peers will judge and shun them or wont understand the
problems they are going through. At the University of Maryland, we have such a diverse
group of students, educators, and staff with many different backgrounds and values, but
we have to make sure that everyone feels like they are being heard and not being judged
for their beliefs or status in any way. It has been a difficult couple of months for many
people, but if we do not talk about the issues at hand, which is the unfortunate
discrimination and judgments towards our white students and other Trump supporters
along with minority students directly affected by the new government, than we are not
looking at the bigger and more serious problems that have come arise due to the
presidential election.
Even though there were some steps taken to help the affected students by the
university, the permanency of the solution was very short lived and in some ways has
caused more problems that people dont realize. We have had many protests around
school for great causes and one of them being to support minority groups but what we
dont realize is that after those protests some people experience the backlash against
President Trump, which makes them feel uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe. Although
there are solutions available for the students to help with their anxiety or depression that
is caused by this negative climate, the options are not known widely enough or easily
accessible amongst all students at the university. It is crucial for all students to find a way
to not only vent about their problems but also find other people who understand and can
relate to them in even the simplest forms. We have a great health center that most people
dont go to or want to go to because they are afraid that it will be expensive or too much
of a hassle but its a great way for people to vent. We, as University of Maryland students
get eight free sessions and even that would be great for students who dont have anyone
to talk to about their problems and want to keep it confidential. However even with this
resource there is still the fact that students dont just want people to feel empathy for
them but they want people who can actually relate and understand what they are going
through, which is where other groups come in such as the multicultural center that also
gives free counseling sessions. Overall there are many ways that students can get
individual help and counseling with their problems but these problems are greater than
just an easy fix with counseling, our entire community at the University of Maryland has
to understand the problem from both sides in order to have some change and less of a
hostile or negative school climate that is affecting so many members in our community.
References:
Collins, Lindsey. "Things Have Changed: After Trump Travel Ban, UMD Student
Schwartz, Natalie. "UMD Trump supporters say they feel voiceless on a liberal campus."
The
Prudente, Tim. "UMD President Says 350 on Campus Affected by Trump's Travel