Editor’s note: These responses were selected through brief, impromptu interviews with campus community members that can also be found in video format above. They are not representative of the entire Ithaca College community, and have been edited for clarity and length. For more U.S. 2024 election responses on campus, see The Ithacan’s news section.

Casell-Lapetina, Sexton and Rylski were interviewed prior to the results of the election, on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 5. Duncan, Gill, Barnes, Barmak and Peak were interviewed after the final results of the election, on Wednesday, Nov. 6. 

Drew Duncan, sophomore

The Ithacan: Is this a historical election? Why?

Duncan: This is more historical than other elections. There’s been a lot of stuff with what he’s been planning to do, how he’s trying to change the government. He’s trying to get rid of term limits. A lot of the stuff he says is unconstitutional. So it seems like a lot of stuff will be changed by [president-elect] Trump.

Ava Casell-Lapetina, sophomore

The Ithacan: What would you change about the American electoral system?

Casell-Lapetina: I feel like it should still be in the people’s hands a little bit more like, obviously, you know, the Senate and the House have a lot of say [of] what goes on. And, like, we elect those people. So it’s partly our fault for not paying more attention. But maybe just giving it a little bit more to the people because our voice matters more than the people who are sitting there. Because they don’t really know what we want, because they don’t ask. 

Chloe Sexton, sophomore

The Ithacan: What would you change about the American electoral system?

Sexton: I was just talking to one of my friends about this, about how we kind of think the Electoral College votes are outdated and kind of stupid, and maybe that’s maybe uneducated, that maybe they are really important for some reason. But I think that the general population should count a bit more.

The Ithacan: Are there any specific issues you feel passionate about?

Sexton: I think [working as treasurer with Planned Parenthood Generation Action] educated me more. And, through the club, we also canvass[ed] for Prop 1, which is specifically on the New York ballot. And so we went around The Commons and talked to people about Prop 1. And I feel like that made a difference because I was able to educate other people, even though I can’t vote inNew York state because I live in New Jersey. So I voted [in] New Jersey, [but] still being able to talk to other people about [Prop 1]. And a lot of people didn’t know what Prop 1 was. That specifically covers like LGBTQ rights, rights for disabled people and abortion rights. And so I feel like being able to talk to people about it made me feel like I could make a difference, which was nice.

Proposition 1 passed in New York State.

Smeena Gill, first-year student

The Ithacan: What are your reactions to this election?

Gill: The fact that all the charges against Donald Trump are now dropped because he has immunity as president, that really has an impact on everything we went through to get him to be facing charges. And I think just the fact that he was reelected after running in 2020 and not getting it, and coming back and his ideas being more extreme, and just the fact that our nation kind of let us down.

Karennahawi Barnes, first-year student

The Ithacan: What are your reactions to this election?

Barnes: Most of Project 2025 targets Native people — repealing all the acts that protect our sacred lands and our practices and [outlawing] residential schools. They took Native children from their homes and forced them to study the Bible, and they couldn’t see their families. And recently there’s been a bunch of bodies that have been found under these schools. And one of the acts that [Project 2025 plans to repeal] protects Native children from being thrown in schools like that again. [President-elect Trump] doesn’t care about anybody else except for rich white men. And it’s shocking to see that so many people of color and people in lower incomes don’t realize that.

Aenessa Rylski, sophomore

The Ithacan: What are your feelings surrounding the election?

Rylski: I think that the election campaigns have tried really hard to get to young voters, especially like the Democratic side, because they know that young voters are a big upcoming population. But I will admit I didn’t pay enough attention to these campaigns as they were coming.

Ari Barmak, sophomore

The Ithacan: What are your feelings surrounding the election?

Barmak: I think that the election shows where we are as a country right now. And hopefully, I think the only thing we can do over the next four years is kind of come together as a community, [in the] spirit of the college or across the country, and support each other.

[On college campuses], there’s two levels to supporting students. You have to support students, through the institution, continue to offer amenities to students like the LGBTQ center. But also at that lived experience type of level where the college continues to provide, like CAPS to students, and just other support services. 

You know, I feel like at least for me, I feel like local elected officials really kind of missed out on possibly making appearances at Ithaca College or Cornell University. I’m sure they did more [campaigning at Cornell]. All [Ithaca College students] talked about was kind of like the [humor] of like the ads of Josh Riley. It was kind of just a joke, when they could have really made an impact by talking to us, teaching us how to mobilize communities, whether it’s here or back home.

Alex Peak, first-year student  

The Ithacan: What are your feelings surrounding the election?

Peak: I do personally feel very scared, because everything is very uncertain, especially the future of the country. A lot of Republican power has taken over the government, which does put things in a very precarious position. I think especially a lot of people around me are very worried about their rights and their safety.

I think we live in a world that is very much trying to take away a lot of freedoms that are very important. I think people [need to have] access to the right health care, and just honestly feeling safe in [their] environment and with the way the government is going, I know me and a lot of people are feeling very unsafe. This is an election that a lot of people are going to be affected by and that will shape a lot of our future.