Students conflicted over election results

SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

With the results of the 2016 general election finalized, students on campus are coming to terms with the results. 

Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton has left some students with a sour taste in their mouths, leaving others with a sense of hope.

Student body president Chris Griffin said the overall situation is an interesting one. 

“I think after watching the acceptance speech, I’m excited for what I hope will be a good future, an inclusive future for America,” he said.

Others, like Lauren Rudthe, a freshman majoring in English, aren’t so optimistic about a Trump-led future. Rudthe is worried about the minorities and other marginalized groups who may be targeted by Trump’s policies.

“Honestly, I’m really scared of what could happen in the future,” she said.

Sheldon Lord, a class of 2016 graduate in cell and molecular biology, said a lot of his friends were depressed by the results.

“They seem under the weather,” he said.

He had assumed Clinton would take the victory over Trump, but said the scandals surrounding Clinton didn’t help her in the polls. He said he hopes Trump, once in office, won’t make the U.S. a harder place to live for minorities. 

“I was kind of indifferent (on) who won or not,” he said.

Judelande Jeune, a senior majoring in political science, said she thinks people are focusing on the wrong thing when they focus all of their attention on the fact the Trump won the election.

“Right now, people are focused only (on) the fact that Trump won instead of the fact that currently the Congress … and now, soon to be, the Supreme Court is going to be all Republican (majority),” she said.

Matthew Giardino, a senior majoring in public relations, has supported Trump for multiple reasons, including his stances on economy and health care.

“Overall, I feel like it’s important that we have change,” he said.

He said he was surprised by the election results. He also said he feels that Trump won in a rigged system despite efforts and collusion from the other side. 

“In the end I feel like the American people chose who they thought was going to bring our country to where they want it to be,” he said.

Miguel Fortuno, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, said most of the people he knew were voting for Trump, but he himself is not a political person.

“(The results were) surprising but not surprising,” he said.

He said that since the election has come to a close, it’s time to accept the fact that Trump won.

“I mean, it is what it is,” he said.