The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) department held a salon Nov. 7 for students and faculty to discuss the election results. The event was open to everyone who wanted to express their feelings about Donald Trump securing the presidency. 

“The aim of the salons is to create informal spaces for students to think through topics that they find relevant in their daily life or in the present political climates,” Maria Tedesco, associate teaching professor at the Matteo Ricci Institute, said. 

Nova Robinson, an associate professor of history at Seattle U and the director of WGSS, shared how successful salons have been in the past year. 

“Last year, we had a salon on Gender and Barbenheimer, looking at the construction of gender in both of those films and that phenomenon from last summer,” Robinson said. 

WGSS invited students to the Wismer Center for a chat at an event titled “Race, Gender & the Election: Recap Conversation.” The event was designed to give students and faculty a safe space to process the election results. 

Sadie Nelson, a fourth-year double major in history and women, gender and sexuality studies, attended the salon to better understand her peers’ positions on the election. 

“I wanted to go because I wanted to get a better political awareness of my classmates and my friends, especially in women and gender studies. I appreciated that faculty was there, too. I think it’s really important to know how your faculty are feeling, and they are leaders in our communities. And I do think they lead by example,” Nelson said.

Robinson explained how the tone of the event would have been significantly different had the election been in favor of Kamala Harris.

“To be frank, we were hoping that the election might be an opportunity to celebrate the first female president, which would have been, of course, something that we in women, gender and sexuality studies would have welcomed,” Robinson said. 

The space provided by WGSS helped students understand the implications of the election results. Some students used the space to discuss abortion rights, some spoke about immigration laws and others speculated about what the future holds. 

Nelson talked about how they felt in regard to Trump’s victory.

“I actually remember I woke up in the middle of the night, and I was like, I hope I just didn’t see this right. I was like, whatever, but I went to work the following morning, and it was just like the worst vibe,” Nelson said. 

Nelson also shared how they found this space beneficial for them. 

“[WGSS] always meets student needs, and that’s apparent in the number of students that attend. I think just having information sessions when necessary. Community spaces, whether it’s just for people to process events like last Thursday’s event was, or to engage people,” Nelson said. 

Tedesco discussed the importance of having spaces like these. 

“I think to have a space in the university that is designed for students to come just as they are,” Tedesco said.

WGSS says it will continue to use its resources to help students and faculty during the Trump administration, especially the trans community. 

“We are really concerned about what the Trump administration will do for trans individuals in our community at Seattle University. We will be doing everything we possibly can to make sure that trans and LGBTQ students feel protected and safe, and that they have a place that makes them feel seen and heard,” Robinson said. 

WGSS strives to create a strong community through events like salons helping students and faculty stay politically aware. If one finds oneself needing a structured space to work through their feelings regarding the election, WGSS is going to continue to hold salons. The next one, titled “Resilience and Resistance,” will be Dec. 5 in Loyola 200 in the Wismer Center from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.