ECU students react as Donald Trump is elected president

Blessing Aghimien

President-elect Donald Trump addresses the country during his victory speech on election night in 2016.

East Carolina University students huddled around TV screens in Cynthia’s Lounge Tuesday night as they watched America’s next four years unfold before them.

After 18 months worth of campaigning, election night concluded with the stunning victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump, a decision that was met with both delight and disappointment from ECU’s student body.

“I’m extremely excited, especially for my future,” said freshman Madison Connelly. “I will graduate in four years and I know Trump will raise the economy enough for me to get a job and have a happy family.”

The official Electoral College map of the 2016 presidential election.

Although Trump lost the popular vote, his 279 electoral vote led to his victory over Hillary Clinton’s 228 electoral vote. In North Carolina, a key battleground state, Trump surpassed Clinton with 51 percent of the state’s vote, which gained him 15 electoral votes. The close numbers continued in almost every state, making every citizen’s vote crucial.

Millennials have long been a target audience for political candidates, more specifically the 18 million students enrolled in universities nationwide. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders brought the issue of college affordability to the forefront of this year’s presidential campaign, an issue that resonates as a harsh reality with many students, considering the expense of a college degree is one of the top reasons people choose not to attend.

“College is twice as expensive for me being that I’m an out of state student,” said freshman Emily Clasen, a theatre education and professional acting double major. “Everyone is deserving of the opportunity to go to school, and the cost of college shouldn’t be a barrier for that.”

In addition to the presidency, the race for governor between current incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory and attorney general Roy Cooper was also controversial in the state of North Carolina. The passing of House Bill 2 led to the loss of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue for the state, making it a controversial key issue for voters this year.

While Tuesday night Cooper declared victory with a slim lead over McCrory, the governor's race is still too close to call. The race will be determined by the provisional ballots by Nov. 18.

Tuesday night’s viewing party, sponsored by The Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement and the Department of Political Science, was hosted in the hope that it would bring students together and create a space for open dialogue during an intense night, said membership director for College Democrats Haley Creef, who also works for The Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.

“It’s important to get students civically engaged and get students excited about the election,” said Creef. “Voices are mattering more and more as students are focusing more on politics.”