November 15, 2024/Midnight
Erie, Pa.— Gannon University is home to over 2,000 students at any given time of year. Within this student body, a variety of different people exist. We are united through our pursuit of education at Gannon University. However, our differences may lie in our ages, career choices, races, faiths, or a plethora of other things. In every aspect that we are different, there is one where we are similar. In Roundtable, we explore the similarities and differences in the thoughts and opinions of Gannon students.
In the early morning of Nov. 5, Donald J. Trump was announced as the winner of the presidential race. In the days since, some have been shocked by the victory, while others expected it.
This week, three students were asked how they feel about the results of the election. Diya Buda, a first–year student studying psychology, shares her thoughts. “I’m pretty neutral about it, because as an international student we can’t really vote, we can’t really get involved in the politics, because it does not affect us that much.”
She also mentions the reactions of some of the people around her. “Some of my American friends were pretty stressed and anxious about Trump winning, and they were posting stories on Instagram, so I saw that.”
Meanwhile, Hailey Cooper, a first-year student studying occupational therapy, says that she felt surprised that Pennsylvania, a state that turned blue in support of Joe Biden in 2020, turned red in favor of Donald Trump this year.
“I thought that it would end up being blue. But I think that I was kind of surprised. I’ve seen mixed information of who’s voting for who. So, I thought it would be pretty close, and I think it was. I do think it was. Deep down, I did kind of expect it.”
When asked if she thought there would be a path to unity in the country, Cooper says, “I’m not sure within the next four years, I don’t know if that’s overall Trump’s goal. Yeah, I’m not really sure.”
Brian Tarbuk, a junior studying physical therapy, says, “I was definitely surprised when I woke up that morning. It was definitely surprising that Donald Trump won.”
He also says that he was not surprised that Pennsylvania turned red in favor of Trump. “It’s a swing state, so it’s always going to go either way. I mean, the places that went blue, I wasn’t surprised, and the places that went red, I wasn’t surprised.”
Though the presidential race was long and divisive, election season has come to a close. Now, many Americans are looking to the future and wondering what the next president will do for the country.
