Students and faculty throughout the University of Hawaii system are “concerned and disturbed” after last week’s presidential election and are “uncertain over the direction (the) nation may take.”
That’s what UH President David Lassner said in a systemwide memo Tuesday, a week after Republican Donald Trump was elected to become the country’s 45th president. The election’s outcome sparked anti-Trump protests nationwide, including a march Sunday through Waikiki on Oahu. Protests in other parts of the nation continued Tuesday.
UH-Hilo largely has been devoid of protests or demonstrations as of yet — though some on campus are now spearheading efforts aimed at “alleviating fear” and promoting “solidarity.”
On Tuesday, volunteers with UH-Hilo’s new LGBTQ+ center handed out safety pins, which coincides with a national movement to show support for underrepresented groups defamed by Trump.
On Friday, student leaders are hosting a “Post Election & Social Justice Teach-In.” The event will be an informal discussion to talk about the outcome of the election and will be followed by a march through campus, according to an event flier.
On Sunday, faculty in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program are hosting a candlelight vigil/walk in Volcano aimed at promoting “peace … compassion and … solidarity for all those affected by the elections,” according to an email about the event.
“I didn’t go to school the next day, I just couldn’t,” said student Sadie Dossett, who also is president of a UH-Hilo group called Pride Hilo, recounting the immediate reaction to Trump’s victory. “I knew there were people in my classes who were also supporters of him. And I was just so devastated.”
Michael Medeiros, a 19-year-old Hillary Clinton supporter, said he was similarly “disappointed” and even fearful at the election outcome. Medeiros said he’s worried Trump’s administration might set back civil rights for LGBT individuals and said other UH-Hilo students have seemed similarly uneasy in recent days.
“It’s that fear of not knowing what’s going to happen,” Medeiros said. “Nothing has happened yet, so the anxiousness is building up.”
Student Doug Leota, a Republican who voted for Trump, disagrees there’s been an air of fear at the Hilo campus — but noted he is older than most other students and “hardly (pays) attention to the vibe on campus.”
Leota said he is Samoan and thus “a man of color,” but didn’t feel threatened by Trump’s remarks about minorities.
“I think we should just let the system play out,” Leota said. “It’s a democracy. I think more young people should learn about the democracy they are creating. It’s OK to protest peacefully, but these riots are getting out of hand.”
UH-Hilo administrators “have not received or heard of any concerns from (UH-Hilo) students” about the election, campus spokesman Jerry Chang said in an email, adding Lassner’s memo was likely in response to a march at the Manoa campus and aimed at “offering help or support as needed.”
Universities nationwide have released similar post-election statements in recent days, officials said.
The full memo can be found at tinyurl.com/UHElectionMemo.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
