Elizabeth Boruff ‘23 | Maggie Lo ‘23
The political views of EA’s student body have not significantly changed since the last presidential election in 2016. Now, as then, EA has a roughly even split between those who affiliate with Republicans and those who affiliate with Democrats. Michael Letts, Head of Upper School, shares, “I wouldn’t say that as a community of students or as a community of faculty that our political views lean one way or the other. We’re pretty balanced like most communities. I think there are students who tend to be more conservative and students who tend to be more liberal, and it’s the same with the faculty.”
Photo courtesy of Ashley Kennedy
Additionally, in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, an increasing number of students have become more politically involved. Vince Vento ‘21, president of the Young Democrats Club, observes, “I think that [the number of club participants was] the same for my sophomore and junior years, but there are more members this year.” Similarly, Jon Shanahan ‘21, co-president of the Young Republicans Club, notes, “I would say that we’ve had more attendance this year than we did the previous years, which makes sense considering the election.” Shanahan also comments on the surprising diversity within his club, saying, “While many of our members obviously like Trump, there are also quite a few of us that dislike him, and our discussions can often be quite critical of the President.”
In a Scholium article written by Phoebe Barr ‘19 during the 2016 election, ‘Students vote in EA mock election’, Emma Sargent ‘18, president of the Young Democrats Club at the time, responds to a Scholium poll taken the year before – 2015 – where “sixty percent of Episcopal responders identified as Democrats.” Sargent says in the article, “This was really interesting because, for a lot of the Democrats in the school, the narrative is ‘the school is so Republican, nobody agrees with us,’ and, sure, it might just be sixty percent of kids who responded to the Scholium poll, but it did shake my view of Episcopal to see that the numbers were different than I thought. Similarly, although twenty to thirty devoted members come to Young Republicans every week, whereas two to five come to Young Democrats, still the Young Republicans’ narrative is ‘we’re in the minority, nobody agrees with us, the chapel speeches are so liberal’ – and so each political party really feels attacked and oppressed and disenfranchised.” In contrast to 2016, current student Anika Kakarla ‘23 believes that it is easier to lean left at EA: “I think that it’s easier at our school to be more liberal. Those that are more conservative or Trump supporters probably feel like they’re singled out and that it’s harder to speak up.”
Letts also explains that the impact of the last election negatively affected the students: “The 2016 election was not good […] Things got out of hand, and I think there was a lot of student interaction that was not okay.” He shares, “We’re [now …] trying to make sure emotion stays in check, and [students] are being respectful of each other. It’s about making sure that [students] are able to agree to disagree, to be respectful of one another, and to focus on our common values as a school in our community.” Recently, individual advisories held discussions regarding student’s feelings about the election period in hopes of encouraging students to respect opinions different from their own.
Despite these differences in political views, Letts still encourages constructive political discussion between students because it raises political awareness. He says, “Even though it’s very polarized, […] I do think it has awakened [the student] generation to the importance of public and civic discourse and the importance of voting. It’s a privilege to live in a country where we can voice our opinions that way.”
Many students have also been discussing and sharing their views in classrooms and lounge spaces about the election. When asked if he has heard a lot of talk about politics and whether those talks have been intense, Vento simply replies, “Yes and yes.” However, the amount of political discourse overheard can vary, which Pepper Claytor ‘23 describes: “I’ve heard a bit [of political discussion]. The only thing is, I feel like a lot of people don’t like to talk about it in the school environment because it can create a lot of controversy.” Students have also been using their social media platforms to share their views. Bella Bin ‘24 says, “I’ve seen people post on their social media accounts talking about politics and who they think should win and why one candidate is better than the other.”
In response to potential discomfort among students when discussing political views, the Young Democrats and Republicans Clubs have offered controlled political conversations. Vento explains, “Normally we just discuss how the election is going and the predictions and of course, everything with Amy Coney Barrett.” Shanahan says, “Our discussions range across many topics, yet usually, we talk about current events in the news cycle. For example, in our last meeting, we discussed the Amy Coney Barrett confirmation hearings, the debates, and foreign policy.”
Ultimately, the EA faculty are doing their best to prevent the election from dominating student emotions. In another 2016 Scholium article, ‘Presidential election results create chaos’, also written by Barr, Sam Willis shared at the time, “Some were ecstatic at the outcome, and others feared for the safety of their families.” This year, Letts says, “I can envision a scenario either way this election plays out: that one group is incredibly happy and even gloating, and the other group is extraordinarily upset and despondent. That polarity might cause problems.”
Before the final election results arrived, Shanahan predicted that the results of the election would “upset many no matter who wins.” To address this, he said, “It is important that we respect each others’ thoughts and feelings about politics. Both [the Young Republicans club] and the Young Democrats club intend to work together to ease tensions and promote civil discourse and respect. We won’t tolerate any jeering, mockery, or boasting on either side.”
Vento comments on the results of the election and the potential impact it could have on EA, noting that the Young Democrats club has been checking in “to make sure everything is going well. If anybody needs someone, they have me or Mr. Jimenez. We’re not too worried about violence at EA. We’re more worried about people’s feelings. Our goal for the next few weeks is to just make a positive environment for club members and make sure everything’s going well for everyone.”