The effects of politics on University of Maryland students

College is supposed to be a time where students start to find themselves, make

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

as if their voices are heard or even wanted.

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

simply because it is different.

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

result, he feels as though he is constantly walking on eggshells whenever he gets

involved in a discussion about politics. Christina OConnell, another Trump supporter,

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

in November, it has still been an uphill battle for many.

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

respect for differing opinions.

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

Maryam Mohammadi, an Iranian University of Maryland student, was detained as she

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

nothing if they are forced to leave the country.

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

Recalls Her Five-hour Detention." The Diamondback. The University of Maryland, 1

Feb. 2017. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

Muazu, Hauwa. "Empathy Plan Interview." Personal interview. 19 Feb. 2017

Schwartz, Natalie. "UMD Trump supporters say they feel voiceless on a liberal campus."

The

Diamondback. N.p., 19 Feb. 2017. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.

Prudente, Tim. "UMD President Says 350 on Campus Affected by Trump's Travel

Ban."Baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore Sun, 31 Jan. 2017. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.