The Center for Community Engagement held a watch party on Nov. 5 for students to watch states call for presidential candidates.

Students gathered in Rettner Hall to talk with their peers and eat free food. The atmosphere was happy at first and the chatter was loud, but this quickly faded as more states were called by Donald Trump. This event only lasted until 10:00 p.m., so the winner was not officially announced there.

The next day, many teachers advised their students to take a mental health day or week in light of the news that Donald Trump would once again be president of the United States.

“(I’m) disappointed at best, terrified at worst,” freshman Emerson Davis shared regarding the election results. “As a trans man, I am afraid of my rights and being myself.”

Another student, a political science major who asked to remain anonymous, shared that he is “very disappointed.” They also said they are “just sad for a lot of people because they know this is going to affect a lot of people.”

“I think there’s going to be a lot more tension for a lot of people and a lot of unnecessary stress,” they said when asked their predictions about the election’s effects on college students.

They also mentioned concern and uncertainty about many issues, such as student loan payments, now that the president is changing.

They said there is still hope for a change by the midterm elections, as this “exposes many flaws in the voting system and the way people are educated about elections.”

They said they hope the midterm elections will go in another direction.

As Davis shared, “even small things have a big impact on the local community (…) it’s not just the president who makes the decisions.”