Editorial: Forging a Path Forward

For the past two weeks, we have been contemplating what we can possibly say about the election. Since Donald Trump’s reelection, the atmosphere on campus has palpably shifted. Even if many of us viewed Trump’s win as a very real possibility in the weeks leading up to it, its confirmation has left many students rattled, hopeless, angry, or even numb — and these feelings have manifested in a noticeable silence post-election. We as the Editorial Board have not been immune to this. We too are filled with anxiety and uncertainty about the future.

While this is not the first time Trump has been elected to office, this time, he ran as a convicted felon and won not only the electoral vote but the popular vote, something a Republican candidate has not achieved in 20 years — and this happened during the first election cycle in which many of us were able to exercise our right to vote. Often on campus, we talk about living in “the Amherst bubble” as if it were a place of homogenous political identity that exists as a progressive bastion dedicated to education, despite the fact that people on our campus did vote for Trump. Still, we have never seen a greater disparity between this supposed bubble and the rest of the country than in this year’s election.

Since Trump’s first election, we have constantly been bombarded with news reports reminding us about the farce that national and global politics has become. Information that would have been deeply alarming eight years ago is now often quickly glanced over and numbly dismissed among the myriad of other articles parroting similarly disturbing news. Those of us who pay attention to politics laugh and make fun of Trump’s future cabinet picks because we have become so desensitized by a feeling of hopelessness and powerlessness about the consequences of the election. Some have logged off from politics completely in order to avoid the sheer exhaustion and fatigue that the state of politics brings us. But it is imperative for us as the Amherst student body to not allow these feelings to render us stagnant and prevent us from working towards the beliefs and values that we care about.

In this moment of fear and uncertainty, the Editorial Board feels a great deal of concern about the impacts, both tangible and intangible, that the results of this election could have on our campus community. A potential tax increase on the endowment, as per the proposed changes to the higher education tax, could severely limit Amherst’s ability to provide an equitable education to its students. The incoming administration’s stances on the Affordable Care Act, abortion, and gender-affirming care, just to name a few policies, could impact access to healthcare services for countless students and their families depending on their state of origin. Twelve percent of the college’s student body consists of international students and other non-citizens, a figure that could greatly decrease due to the Trump administration’s proposed immigration policies, such as limitations on visas and prospective employment and residency opportunities. The college is actively working on plans to protect students, staff, and faculty, but federal policies could still hurt the Amherst community. Over the next four years, we may see the proliferation of massive inequities on campus based on students’ financial status, home states, and countries of origin in unprecedented ways. Rather than letting this election leave us hopeless or apathetic, this moment should provoke us to reflect on why it turned out the way it did and critically examine the causes that have led to such seemingly impassable divides in our country.

This week, The Student’s reporting highlights steps that the college is taking to protect students in the face of Trump’s proposed policies, including changes to the winter break housing policy to accommodate international students, and Amherst’s commitment to maintaining anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, faculty, and staff regardless of potential changes to Title IX. Students, on their part, have shared their fears regarding a second Trump term in this issue. In light of those fears, they have also outlined paths for protecting reproductive rights and encouraging continued political discourse on campus post-election.

Our coverage will continue. This is not a normal election, and as Trump’s second term begins, we as the Editorial Board will not reinforce a “new normal” where the threats faced by members of the Amherst community are simply an accepted fact of political life. Two weeks after the election, we continue to allow ourselves space for grief or anger, but not for apathy — we will move forward, because we must.

Unsigned editorials represent the views of the majority of the Editorial Board — (assenting: 13; dissenting: 0; abstaining: 0)