In the wake of Trump's election, "college crybabies" mourned the prospect of what a Trump presidency could mean for minorities, women, and the LGBTQ community. Emboldened by the Trump win, acts of violence were reported on many campuses, including the University of Michigan.
Now, college conservatives who voted for Trump feel silenced — their views devalued and disrespected — and some are even calling for "safe spaces," according to the New York Times, where they won't have to deal with the microaggressions of liberals who are making them feel bad about voting for Donald Trump.
Sophomore Amanda Delekta, the political director of the College Republicans at the University of Michigan, spoke to the Times about being a Trump supporter who felt silenced by her liberal colleagues. She slammed pro-Hillary and anti-Trump students whose PC opinions were validated by the university administration's sentiment and support. Delekta explained that University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel's words to students after the election made liberals feel “their ideology was superior to the ideology of their peers." The Times continued:
A few days ago, Ms. Delekta and two fellow Republican students sat down at a local restaurant, Sava’s, to talk about the campus mood with several students with left-leaning views.
The conversation soon grew tense as the students were unable to agree on almost anything.
Ms. Delekta described how she had been offended when a classmate wondered why as a “white female,” she had not voted for Hillary Clinton. She resented what she saw as identity politics on campus.
"When we started to have conversations the following day in classes, they were very one-sided," Delekta said. She blasted to a student vigil held at the school after the election, saying, "The United States has not died. Democracy is more alive than ever. Simply put, the American people voted and Trump won."
Scenes from tonight's vigil on the Diag @UMich pic.twitter.com/ujZOxMrgRB
— The Michigan Daily (@michigandaily) November 10, 2016
“Nobody has died,” Delekta said.
Just days after the election, the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security said that "a student was approached by an unknown man, who demanded she remove her hijab or he would set her on fire with a lighter. She complied and left the area. The Ann Arbor Police are actively investigating."
Two days later, they sad another student "was approached by two men, who yelled at her about being in America, made reference to religion and then pushed her down a hill."
“I’m not electing a grandpa or a babysitter," Delekta told the Times, explaining how she separated the president-elect's policies from sexist comments about women.
In a letter to the student body, university President Schlissel wrote, "It will take quite some time to completely absorb the results from yesterday’s election, understand the full implications, and discern the long-term impact on our university and our nation . . . Our responsibility is to remain committed to education, discovery and intellectual honesty – and to diversity, equity and inclusion." In the message, Schlissel listed campus spaces and events that offered support for saddened anti-Trump students.
This post has been updated, and the headline modified.
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