The “What Just Happened?” panel, featuring Willamette faculty and staff members such as Jennifer Martinez-Medina, Melissa Buis, Richard Ellis, Seth Cotlar and Wendy Boring, discussed the political climate leading up to and after the 2024 election and what Willamette students may expect from a Trump presidency.
The panel spoke at Cone Chapel on Nov. 11 in front of a crowd of about 50 people about Donald Trump’s pattern of discrimination against people of color, women, immigrants and LGBTQIA+ people. While they noted that his presidency brings divisiveness to the forefront of the United States, these panelists agreed that there are steps people can take to build a healthy community and ways to understand how this presidency will impact students’ lives.
Martinez-Medina, a politics, policy, law and ethics (PPLE) assistant professor, focused on the Latinx community and their influence during the election. Latinx voters for Trump increased by 14% from 2020, according to Martinez-Medina, stating the cause was due to “the evolution of strongman politics.” According to the European Center for Populism Studies, a “political strongman” is a type of authoritarian leader of a nation-state who usually has complete control over the military. Martinez-Medina used this concept to claim that this is why “a lot of communities that were consistently blue voted red,” with voters shifting towards the idolization of the 'political strongman' and the idea of him holding up traditional values.
Buis, a professor and chair of the PPLE department, discussed the implications of Trump’s presidency on society, mostly regarding abortion rights. She stated that “white women did not deliver for Harris like they did for Biden” and emphasized the likelihood of Trump vetoing a national protection of the right to abortion. She also highlighted her concerns about an “unchecked Trump” through his Republican majority of the House and Senate.
Ellis, a Hatfield professor of PPLE, discussed the importance of working-class people, their lived realities during this election, and the disconnect between the wealthy, the middle class and those who are impoverished. He also spoke about the absurdity of policy mandates — a policy that results in total compliance — and their illegitimacy, for example, a national abortion ban or rigid immigration laws. “Don't listen to any politician — or president — who tries to tell you they have a policy mandate. They don’t.”
Cotlar, a history professor, asserted that a Trump administration is “textbook authoritarianism.” He believes that there will be “huge consequences” to a Trump presidency, like mass deportation, silencing of critics, destruction of NATO, lack of abortion rights and the abolishment of the Department of Education. Cotlar also expressed annoyance about people who vote Republican simply out of loyalty to the party. “If you ran a ham sandwich as a Republican candidate, it would get 40% of the vote. That is just the way our partisan politics work,” Cotlar claimed.
Boring, a history professor, focused on how these conflicts impact the community at Willamette, including divisiveness on campus. She shared her own experience about how her body went into “fight or flight” during Cotlar’s listing of consequences. She described the 2024 election as “a frenzy of high conflict, on steroids.” But she also highlighted the steps the Conversation Project, which focuses on the discussions between different beliefs, is taking to facilitate growth and communication between students. She stated that “healthy conflict is necessary for democracy,” and just like after the 2016 presidential election, it’s important for educators to help facilitate productive conversations within the Willamette community.
All of these panelists, moderated by Willamette’s Gender Resource and Advocacy Center Director Lisa Logan, stressed how crucial organizing is at this time and agreed that tools are available for students, even though “we had a referendum on fascism, and we said yes,” according to Cotlar.
People who attended the panel, like Addison Thompson (’28), thought that “the discussion was well done and put together nicely.” Even if it didn’t change her mind on the topics at hand, Thompson said she enjoyed the discussion about the broader politics of the recent election.
Following the election results, some students have felt fear, anger, anxiety and exhaustion. Some students, like Kate McLellan (’28), told the Collegian outside the event that they noticed changes to the atmosphere of campus in the days after the election and described it as “empty and hopeless.”
Many Willamette students shared their reactions to election results either by posting thoughts of their own or reposting works online, along with participating in discourse with friends. Many professors have given grace to students whose mental health has been impacted by the election. There are faculty members who can meet with students individually to discuss issues beyond the election as well.
However, the panelists argued, it is under times of anger and sadness that these feelings can be fueled into productive conversations about change and the ability to foster a supportive community at Willamette. This sentiment was highlighted in a university-wide email from President Stephen Thorsett and Provost Carol Long sent on election day, too, which stated, “Democracy thrives on participation.”