by Wyatt Waskowiak, reporter
OMAHA – With the 2020 Presidential Election being so polarizing and divisive, The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) hosted a Post-Election Processing fair on Wednesday from 10-1pm. The fair was created after the results from the 2016 election.
“Some complaints came across in classrooms about the kind of partisan style discussions that were starting to come up that were making people feel uncomfortable, one way or the other,” said UNO Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Kristina Cammarano.
In 2016 after Donald Trump was elected president, UNO students were not always comfortable talking about how they felt following the results. Whether they were excited for the result or disappointed. This year, the Post-Election Processing Fair opened the options to separate the rooms to make it more comfortable for everyone.
Dr. Jessi Hitchins, Senior Director for the office of student life, said, “We really wanted to kind of expand that really experience into different opportunities for people who have similar ideologies, so that they could process in space in a similar way.”
There were over 10 forums where students could virtually visit via Zoom, and discuss how they felt about how the election was going. The designated rooms were directed to make the student feel more comfortable, some being aimed at party affiliations, and others being directed more towards students who are not from Nebraska.
UNO is also prepared for any potential protest that could occur on or around campus. Similar to what happened this summer when protest assembled on 72nd and Dodge intersection, following the death of George Floyd.
“We’re always vigilant, are very connected to OPD (Omaha Police Department), public safety. I mean, our first goal is to keep our students, faculty and staff safe,” said UNO Vice Chancellor for Student Success, “If something happens on the campus, we’re prepared for that. Whether it’s public safety or our mental health counselors, we have teams and people that are working day and night to resolve any issue that comes up.”
No matter what the outcome of the election is, UNO is preparing to combat the reaction as safely as possible. With any possible danger, they try to stay as prepared as they can be, whether that’s fires, a shooting or a protest.
Shipp said, “Our job is really to get ahead of it, and provide great support structures for students that are really happy with the way the election turns out, and sometimes you know they’re not happy.”
