The results of the 2016 Presidential Election evoked a range of emotions on Saint Anselm College’s campus including surprise, elation, anxiety and even fear.

According to the PEW Research Center, “More than half of Democrats (55%) say the Republican Party makes them “afraid,” while 49% of Republicans say the same about the Democratic Party.”

The college responded to the emotional needs of students post presidential election with emails on Nov. 9 from two different administrators.

Wayne C. Currie, director of the college’s Multicultural Center, sent an email to the Saint Anselm College community in which he said “We know a lot of you could be struggling today. Please be aware that the Multicultural Center (lower level of Davison) is here for you. Please feel free to use our space to hang out, as an outlet for dialogue and discussion or to do whatever you need to cope.”

In addition, the college’s Vice President for Student Affairs, Joseph M. Horton, Ed.D., also emailed the college community less than a few hours later reminding all that “Every member of our community is a gift and worthy of respect… we are in a unique position, as a Catholic and Benedictine college to serve as an example of respectful and productive discourse that serves the common good.”

It appeared that both administrators attempted to calm any resulting anxiety from the election results with an appeal to open dialogue.

According to a new study from the Pew Research Center for Media and Journalism, more than 60 percent of millennials who were surveyed said that during the previous week they got their political news from Facebook.

However this may be problematic. An article in the Wall Street Journal states “Scholars worry that [Facebook] can create ‘echo chambers,’ where users see posts only from like-minded friends and media sources.”

Although both political parties’ constituents express fear of the other party, these statistics suggest that Millennials, in particular, are not often exposed on social networks to the views of the other party.

The Crier interviewed 14 individuals in the college’s community including students, faculty, administrators and a member of the monastic community to learn what their reaction to the election was, and why they did or did not vote for President-elect Donald Trump.

Edgar Hernandez, a junior and football player at Saint Anselm College, told The Crier he didn’t support Trump because Trump attempted to appeal to his audience through racist, sexist, misogynistic, and narcissistic rhetoric.

Audio was leaked of a conversation Trump had with Billy Bush in which he stated he could “grab women” by their genitalia. Hernandez said that as a football player he was disturbed by Trump’s claim that this was just “locker room talk.” Hernandez stated that this is not the kind of conversation that goes on in Saint A’s locker rooms.

Professor Gilberto A. Ruiz, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology told The Crier he is “concerned over how the validation of Trump’s rhetoric will affect immigrants, Latino/as, and other persons of color and disenfranchised groups, and women, all of whom have always been more vulnerable to violence and systemic injustice.”

Junior, Sheila Ramirez, stated concern with Trump’s plan to end funding to “sanctuary cities” like her hometown of Lawrence, MA. The Eagle Tribune reported on Aug. 11, 2015 that Lawrence “join[ed] about 300 U.S. cities that limit cooperation with federal authorities seeking illegal immigrants”.

Ramirez told The Crier that she fears getting rid of these decisions in Lawrence will lead to dangerous racial discrimination.

Dr. Elona Lucas, professor in the English Department, stated that she did not vote for either Clinton or Trump because of their lack of truthfulness. Although, she also stated that her pro-life morality was a deciding factor. She was troubled by Clinton’s pro-choice stance and Trump’s historically wavering support of pro-life.

All four students who supported Trump’s campaign told The Crier that their Catholic commitment to pro-life influenced their vote.

Andrew Cilento, Saint A’s junior, stated that his pro-life views as a Catholic was one of his main reasons for voting for the Republican candidate. He even told The Crier, “I support Mike Pence in trying to mandate funerals for fetuses.”

Cilento also supports Trump’s foreign policy. He was moved by Trump’s dedication to defeat ISIS, telling The Crier that “Christians and non-Muslims are being violently persecuted by ISIS”. He also stated his hope that under Trump “our enemies will fear us.”

Two supporters of Trump’s campaign, Cilento and a female student who will remain anonymous, stated they believed Trump’s rhetoric, which was labeled as racist, xenophobic and sexist was misinterpreted and exaggerated by the media.

Although, Cilento stated that he was “disturbed” by individuals like David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, who supported Trump because of their racist interpretation. Cilento stated that he believes most of the country understood Trump’s true and less divisive meaning.

The female student who asked to remain anonymous and two other female students who support Trump but declined to be interviewed told The Crier they expect backlash for their views.

The female student who will remain anonymous said she has already seen posts on Facebook which state “you should die if you voted for Trump.”

“Secretary Clinton calling Trump’s supporter a ‘basket of deplorables’ made me feel even more isolated.” She told The Crier.

Both supporters of Trump, and those who oppose him at the college, expressed anxieties and fears post-election.

However, both Dr. Lucas and Dr. Steven DiSalvo, president of Saint Anselm College, told The Crier that they have lived through contentious elections before, and encouraged young people to remember that the United States has always prospered under the democratic process.