Letter From the Editor – 11/12/24

Dear Leader Reader,

I don’t need to tell you that tensions are high in the aftermath of election results and that we are at risk of becoming a campus divided. Divided between candidates, political parties, and issues that threaten to create an unbridgeable schism between us.

I’m not asking you to ignore your feelings, I’m not asking you to start magically getting along with one another. The one thing I am asking is that you stop and remember that we are all human beings regardless of our opinions.

I’m personally saddened by these election results, more than that, I’m dismayed at how our campus community has reacted to them via social media channels. The vitriol I’ve seen posted at the expense of marginalized communities in the last week has been unreal to me. What I’ve seen so far of our community in a post-election reality is not the behavior I have come to recognize and expect from my peers here on campus.

Whether you’re reveling in Donald Trump’s victory or mourning Kamala Harris’ loss—you should care about other people.

I’m upset about how these next four years will affect myself and the people I love, but beyond that, I’m upset about how they’ll impact people I have never met and will never know.

People who have worked hard to stay in this country. People who have sacrificed so much to receive an education. People who have fought tooth and nail for the ability to express who they are and who they love. People who rely on government assistance to remain on even footing.

You should care about these people too, you should care about the human beings these issues will affect firsthand.

And if you don’t have the capacity for that, at the very least, you should care about the people sitting next to you in your classes, the professors devoting their professional careers to educating you, and the staff members who work tirelessly to keep this campus up and running for us.

Each one of them is going through their own struggles, and you don’t have to understand them, you don’t have to agree with them on every issue, but you do have to wake up and realize that the world is bigger than you and that it costs nothing to be kind.

We live in a world that seeks to divide us, but I believe that we can be better. You’re here at EU for a reason, so remember that reason now, and get it together. Start acting like adults. Reflect back to a time when human decency was the norm. Go out into the world today and do something kind for another person. We’ll all be better off for it.

Sincerely,

Lily Morgan (she/her)