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Some Syracuse University professors have canceled or adjusted classes to help students deal with anxiety about the outcome of the undecided 2020 election. 

Some professors made attendance in their Wednesday and Thursday classes optional. Others rearranged their plans so students could use class time to share their feelings about the election or connect current politics to course content. 

Sarah Miraglia, a women and gender studies professor, set up a Blackboard forum where students could share ideas about conducting class following Election Day. Miraglia gave students the option to hold class as usual, make class meetings optional or use class time to talk about the election. 

“They wanted to hold class, and they wanted it to be a place where they could talk about the election because online classes have been really difficult for them, and they wanted a space where they could talk to each other,” Miraglia said. 

Miraglia is also working to make the due dates for upcoming assignments flexible. Concerns about how the election’s results could affect their lives are compounding students’ stress about online classes and the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. 

“I’ve taught for at least 15 years over several elections, and I’ve not had students respond as they are this year,” Miraglia said. “It’s been important for me to give them a space to hear them and to validate the feelings that they have.” 

Jenn Grygiel, an assistant professor of communications, is making friendship bracelets with one of their classes following Election Day. 

The class, which usually meets online, will gather outside to make bracelets and other crafts. Grygiel used some recently-received grant money to help buy bracelet supplies and adult coloring books. 

“We need some rest this week,” they said. “We’re going to just build some community and have that experience together as a class.” 

Grygiel asked students who are studying remotely to share their favorite colors so Grygiel can send them their own bracelets.

“It’s a gesture and a way to build community in a time where we’re all Zooming more and being remote,” Grygiel said. 

S.D.C. Parker, an assistant teaching professor of writing studies, rhetoric and composition, said her choice to make due dates on class assignments more flexible is based not only on the election but also on the pandemic, protests against racism in the United States and recent student deaths at SU. 

Though these problems have affected all students, they have been especially disruptive for students from marginalized communities, Parker said. 

“This semester, for my students to have the opportunity to do their best work, they need flexibility, time and understanding from me,” Parker said. “I think my students would tell you that I have high expectations, and while I can’t compromise on those expectations, I can compromise on the various avenues that are available for students to achieve these outcomes.” 

Luvell Anderson, an associate professor of philosophy, made his post-Election Day class optional. Students who decided to attend Anderson’s Wednesday race and identity class were free to discuss the election and draw connections to philosophical concepts from class.

“The impact of this election cycle is undeniable,” Anderson said. “Especially this week, the amount of energy being expended on it is overwhelming for a lot of people.” 

Anderson thought some students would struggle to concentrate or engage productively with the course’s readings or lectures. Sticking to the plans for the day would likely increase stress for students already dealing with a lot of anxiety, he said. 

“Rather than make students try to deal with that, part of the purpose of the course is to equip students with tools to think about things like this, so here’s an opportunity to pause from the ‘academic’ work and just take a moment to think about our actual lives and what these events mean for our lives,” Anderson said. 

The issues at stake in the election are the same issues students consider in Anderson’s classes, he said. 

Grygiel suggested that students manage election-related stress and anxiety by embracing community and finding trusted information sources. 

“In times of uncertainty, and when there’s high anxiety, we want to go to places that we know we can trust,” they said. “Get your people around you, your VIPs, your community, the people who are safe spaces and trusted circles.” 

Anderson wants students to remain attentive and engage with the questions the election poses. 

“Stay hopeful, but stay vigilant,” Anderson said. “The better nation we’re trying to build, the more inclusive community we’re trying to craft, is only going to come through sustained effort, sustained vigilance at trying to achieve it.” 

Published on November 4, 2020 at 10:56 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3