Schools around the country have seen an increase in incidents of bias since last week’s presidential election. And as WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia reports, some colleges in Northeast Ohio have taken steps to help students who are feeling anxious about a Donald Trump presidency.
Some schools have called in counselors for students, while others – such as the College of Wooster – have issued statements saying that discrimination will not be tolerated.
University of Akron President Matthew Wilson says his school has seen no incidents, and most of his interaction with students has involved trepidation about impending change.
“Not anything of great fear or anger or anything along those lines, more along the lines of finding ways to build bridges [and] unify.”
Wilson adds that the dialogue he’s hearing shows that respect is “part of the DNA” of the university.
“I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard to date. There is, I think, some trepidation and fear that accompanies changes and a lot of the dialogue that’s out there. I would hope that our students continue to focus on building bridges, building towards the future and building friendships with everyone around them.”
Wilson says the school’s Center for Conflict Management is holding open dialogue sessions today and tomorrow at Olin Hall from 3-4 p.m., for anyone wanting to share their election story. And Akron’s Undergraduate Student Government is planning a Unity Vigil to be held next week.
Akron students Corey Cargill, Marissa Williams, Alec Swan and Joel Richardson put together a public art project on unity.
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