By Lauren Runkle, Staff Writer
This past week marked, arguably, the most important presidential election the United States has ever had. College students, most who have never voted in a presidential election before, felt the pressure of their decision, no matter which side of the political scale they fell on.
Although we were given a mental health day, I think last week was incredibly stressful and hard for many students in different ways.
The most stressful part of election week was definitely the waiting game. Mail-in ballots delayed results much longer than usual, so we did not know that Biden was the winner until Saturday.
I was thankful that my professors consistently checked in with students and asked them how they were doing, keeping in mind that work can be hard to accomplish during an extra stressful time.
I do think some professors and students could have been a little less political in conversation, since class could be a place for students to escape and all people have different opinions, but this was not too excessive in general.
Overall, teachers and staff were more understanding of our needs last week, which was beneficial to me as well as other students.
I do hope that security and mental health measures continue to be put in place during such high-stress times, perhaps with even more improvements over the years. Getting safely to the polls, respecting fellow peers and continuing to perform well in classes is top priority, no matter who wins.
