A sign directs voters where to turn in their ballots.
Twelve alumni were asked how their campuses are responding to the presidential election. Check back tomorrow to read about Aidan Galati, Manson Tung and Maddy Judd, all ’16, and Micaela Bennett-Smith, ’15
Julia Owaidat, ‘16, Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles)
“There have been public screenings in the Sunken Gardens, a large grass area by the freshman dorms. They projected the debates on the side of a building, and students brought blankets and chairs to watch.
“I haven’t run into any Trump supporters here, so it’s just a lot of ‘I’m With Her.’ Trump really isn’t even mentioned on campus. We all just collectively dislike his views and him as a person!
“Students have been handing out flyers on how to register to vote since school started. They don’t really care who you vote for as long as you exercise your right to vote.
“No protests, no crazy debates between students. But then again, I’m not really exposed to any debates in class, being an engineer and all, but I’m sure other classes discuss it if it pertains to their class.
“Occasionally one of my professors makes fun of the candidates if it somehow pops up in conversation.”
Jenny Kerbs, ‘16, Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York)
“People have just been very vocal about the importance of voting. I have not met a single Trump supporter on my campus, so everyone is pretty like-minded.
“Lots of people watched the debates. We would sit in the MPR (multi-purpose room) of our dorm so we could all see it together on a big-screen TV.
“At this point, everyone is just worried about how close the polls are. It’s really disconcerting.”
Jaspreet Gill, ‘15, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Lafayette College (Easton, Pennsylvania)
“It’s actually pretty divisive. Pennsylvania is a swing state, and a lot of people are strongly divided on who to vote for.
“(In ROTC), for the most part, it’s either Johnson or Hillary supporters. Trump lost a lot of military support when he said he would order us to commit war crimes, insulted blue-star parents and just overall demonstrated his lack of knowledge of military matters. Many, including myself, believe that he is not capable of being a stable commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
“There are college clubs holding official events and, of course, the random shouting matches that erupt every now and then.”
Brad Petchauer, ‘16, Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo)
“Apart from a pro-Trump or a pro-Hillary booth that pops up on the central lawn every few days, Cal Poly doesn’t seem to be caught up in the election drama or debate. There have been more pro-Trump booths than Clinton booths, but (Cal Poly is) liberal, I’d say.
“There’s not really any casual conversation (about the election). Only my public-speaking teacher talks about politics at all, but she’s just using speeches from the campaign as examples.”
—By Sonja Hansen
