Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, many students and faculty around the UA campus have had different thoughts, opinions and predictions for the new president.
With the new presidency comes new agendas and strong controversies. The UA campus is not immune to the political controversy that has taken place over the nation this past year. Students have a variety of opinions over Trump and his administration’s attitude toward women.
Emily Levine, a sophomore majoring in psychology, voiced her concerns about the new president and his agenda for the next four years.
“I am not happy at all with the Trump administration; I even sobbed on election night,” Levine said. “Their policies are threatening to many people, especially women. It feels like we are taking steps back in equality and we aren’t progressing as a nation.”
During Trump’s campaign and presidency, he made remarks about women that offended many nationwide.
“When I hear Trump say ‘no one respects women more than me,’ it really bothers me because his policies totally contradict what he is saying,” Levine said.
Riccy Partida is a senior pursuing visual communications with an emphasis in design. As a woman and student at UA, she voiced her concerns about Trump’s demeanor towards women.
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“From what I’ve noticed, I think the way Trump addresses women is very unprofessional and kind of degrading,” she said. “He lacks basic respect for women, so I’m not sure what he could do for woman’s rights.”
Partida also mentioned how the Trump presidency might have changed the mindsets among many UA students.
“I would say everyone’s perspective and attitude is a little more negative,” Partida said. “People on campus and even around town have lost hope of the United States progressing and people aren’t happy about it.”
Lately, Trump’s administration has been focusing primarily on the production of the wall on the US-Mexican border and the civil war in Syria.
“He has other priorities that come before the women in this nation,” Riccy said. “If anything, women rights should be more important than other issues like building the wall. It’s important to focus on the well-being of the women in this country because women make so many accomplishments towards this nation.”
Since Trump’s inauguration, some UA students have faced a social divide in politics between their friends and family. With different perspectives on Trump’s accomplishments during this first 100 days, students are still anticipating what the president and his cabinet plan to do next.
Jack O’Sullivan, a freshman majoring in political science, explained his hopes for Trump’s presidency.
“My best hope for Trump is to see what issues he should fix for women and that he focuses on helping the working class of America,” he said.
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Brigette Villaseñor is a sophomore majoring in film and television and gender and women’s studies. She is also currently an intern for Feminists Organized to Resist, Create, Change and Empower (FORCE), which is a feminist internship offered through the Women’s Resource Center on the UA campus. As a member of the program, Villaseñor said her goal is to make students more aware of the safe space the WRC provides.
“With this position, I hope to open the minds of people to new ideas about the Women’s Movement,” Villaseñor said. “I’m constantly learning new things about feminism, so at the WRC, we actively inform people about the movement.”
Villaseñor said the day after President Trump’s election victory was announced, most of the UA campus was upset and had “heightened tensions.”
“Especially with cultural centers at the UA, there has been a big push for activism and having more events for students to feel safe and comfortable,” Villaseñor said.
Lili Steffen, a senior majoring in sociology and another FORCE intern, said she hopes Trump listens to the Americans who feel oppressed.
Some UA women have advocated for women’s rights through protests and active organizations like FORCE to express themselves within the community. With numerous women’s rights protests across the nation, their message is quickly spreading.
To learn more about the Women’s Resource Center at the University of Arizona please visit, http://wrc.arizona.edu.
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