ROGERS PARK — After Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election, Loyola University is reaching out to students who may feel fearful or dismayed after a "long, divisive campaign."
Tuesday night's results showed Trump had won the necessary votes from the nation's electoral college, drawing a "wide range of emotions" throughout the campus, said Mariana Chavez, president of Student Government of Loyola Chicago and Jane Neufeld, vice president for Student Development, in a letter to students Thursday.
"Individuals whose personal identities were targeted or insulted during the campaign may be experiencing fear for their personal safety or a new threat to their basic sense of security and well-being," the university said. "We are a community that recognizes, respects and celebrates differences. We collectively commit to ensuring all members of our campus community feel safe and holistically affirmed. Our community is built upon mutual respect and an unwavering commitment to respectful dialogue, no matter how difficult the conversation."
At 10 a.m. Friday, the school will hold a peace circle on the West Quad, with a support group for undocumented students at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Klarchek Information Commons.
At noon Monday, staff from the Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs will hold a discussion about how to process the election and move forward.
President Jo Ann Rooney also issued a statement Thursday, saying the election's aftermath would require deep personal reflection in order to create positive change.
"In my remarks last week, I asked if we were willing to reach deep within ourselves, risk discomfort, confront ambiguities, and increase our civic engagement in order to take on the difficult societal issues facing us and our communities. I challenged us to do so, because that is who we are as a community," Rooney said.
"Today, and in the days ahead, we have the opportunity, once again, to model civil discourse and respectful dialogue, and to recommit ourselves to Cura Personalis, caring for one another and respecting the dignity of all our fellow Loyolans and neighbors for the benefit of our University and our world."
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