Election season is far from over.
Also far from over is the barrage of assignments, classes and midterms being hurled at students as they attempt to process a vindictive, megalomaniac cry foul.
To put it lightly, this election cycle has been intensely stressful. From misleading ballot boxes planted by the Republican Party to the president refusing to concede a divisive defeat, it has been just as unusual as many of us expected. Taking into account that we may not know what the president and his supporters have planned for the next few weeks, it becomes more draining than ever.
With all of this on students’ plates, it seemed natural for the university to give people a break – perhaps by moving midterms or just opening up office hours for students to talk about what’s going on.
This year is truly unlike any other, and the policies and politics of the two presidential candidates carry serious implications for UCLA students’ lives, families and body autonomy. The university and some of its faculty, however, seem content to go on like business as usual.
Professors can do much to help students struggling with post-election stress beyond simply referring students to Counseling and Psychological Services or mentioning the results in an email. They still have the opportunity to move midterms by a few days or create support groups. More importantly, UCLA must learn from its mistakes this year and create a game plan for Election Days in the future – more specifically, they should give students the day off from classes to vote and engage in other ways.
UCLA should have taken initiative by giving students Election Days off long ago. But even if future races never reach the emotional impact of the 2020 race, this year’s election week should have been a time for civic duty, not cramming for exams.
The university hasn’t ignored Election Day completely – they’ve sent out a variety of emails assuring the student body of their commitments to civic engagement. The university has pledged to strive toward diversity despite the failure of Proposition 16. Administrators also promoted a variety of post-election reflection spaces that allow students to discuss their feelings about the results.
But what they fail to understand is that the most effective course of action they could take isn’t in an email or a resource guide. Instead, UCLA should resolve to plan ahead for the elections to come and make Election Day a holiday for the university community. The free day would give students better access to voting places. Students would also have the time to work at polling places to support their communities beyond a single vote. They could find time for healing, planning and understanding the impacts new policy will have on them.
Right now, students are instead relegated to their homes, watching Zoom screens with professors who, if they’re unlucky, might prefer midterms over political discussions. It is the university’s job to take care of its students – failing to accommodate them during this time of civil unrest is a far cry from that objective.
Hopefully those in the ivory tower will remember that come 2024.
