Due to the Nov. 8 election results, the California State University Long Beach administration sent out an email to their faculty and staff on Wednesday containing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The email said students could feel vulnerable and may experience severe anxiety and depression — presumably because of Donald Trump’s win.
“The election results will undoubtedly evoke a range of emotions across our diverse student body from confusion, to shocked disbelief, to elation, to anger,” wrote Dr. Daniel O’Connor, an Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “I am very concerned about those students who may feel particularly vulnerable given the heated rhetoric of this campaign, as well as those who may experience severe anxiety and depression.”
“Your pedagogical skills and empathy will be demanded more in the next few days than at any time in the recent past,” the email continued. “I ask that you respectfully, professionally, inclusively, and lovingly address the concerns of our students.”
The email included phone numbers and links to counseling and psychological services, a women’s support center, an LGBT student center, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a separate 24-hour suicide hotline for LGBTQ.
The email was also published online via the university’s newspaper for all students to view.
According to Tara Robinson, a junior CSULB student, the overall reaction was that of acceptance. Robinson also reported that a demonstration was held on campus against protesting Trump and the university hosted a safe space with blank boards to provide students an opportunity to write their feelings down.
“[The email is] a stark example of how the youth of this nation have been pansified,” Robinson said. “They were worried about students committing suicide over ‘heated rhetoric’ and are asking educators to lovingly address their concerns — I didn’t know that was in a professor’s’ job description, it’s pathetic.”
