Harvard and Princeton Professors Cancel Classes to Let Students ‘Recover’ from Election By Abigail Anthony
Professors at Harvard and Princeton have canceled classes following Trump’s victory, and other units within the universities are offering “spaces” to process the election results.
At Harvard University, the courses “Sociology 1156: Statistics for Social Sciences,” “Applied Math 22a: Solving and Optimizing,” and the general education courses “The Ancient Greek Hero” and “Popular Culture and Modern China” canceled Wednesday class sessions, made attendance optional, or extended assignment deadlines, according to the student-run paper the Crimson.
An undergraduate student at Harvard told National Review that the first 30 minutes of a section meeting for the class “Gov 1790: American Foreign Policy” were dedicated to origami folding.
Harvard economics lecturer Maxim Boycko said in an email that the in-class quiz for “Economics 1010a: Intermediate Microeconomics” would be optional this week and further permitted students to “take time off,” per the Crimson.
“As we recover from the eventful election night and process the implications of Trump’s victory, please know that class will proceed as usual today, except that classroom quizzes will not be for credit,” Boycko wrote. “Feel free to take time off if needed.”
According to the Crimson, Physics professor Jennifer E. Hoffman said in an email to physics students and faculty that her office would be “a space to process the election.”
“Many in our community are sleep-deprived, again grieving for glass ceilings that weren’t shattered, fearful for the future, or embarrassed to face our international colleagues,” she wrote. “I stress-baked several pans of lemon bars to share.
The Harvard College Democrats released a statement on Thursday expressing support for Kamala Harris and concerns about a second Trump presidency.
“The Harvard College Democrats are incredibly grateful for the leadership of Vice President Kamala Harris and the vision she presented for the future of the country in her campaign for President of the United States,” reads the statement. “We are proud to endorse a campaign that centered joy, community, and a belief in the immense potential of this great nation.”
At Princeton University, at least two classes were canceled on Wednesday: a graduate molecular-biology class, and the psychology course “Social Cognition: The Psychology of Interactive Minds.”
An undergraduate Princeton student in the course “Social Cognition: The Psychology of Interactive Minds” wrote to National Review that all precepts for the class were canceled for the week, and at the beginning of the lecture on Thursday, students were told they had the opportunity to leave if they could not emotionally handle participating. (The professor of the class, Alin Coman, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.)
University Health Services at Princeton University hosted virtual and in-person “Post-Election Listening Circles” on Wednesday.
“We have been hearing about lots of anxiety from students about the election and felt like listening circles can be a helpful way to allow students to process and get support from one another,” Princeton University spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill told the student-run publication Daily Princetonian in a statement.
The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) at Princeton University held a “post-election discussion” on Wednesday, where students groups led conversations about “queer/trans concerns” and “misogynoir in the 2024 election.” On Thursday evening, the GSRC is sponsoring a “meditation session” with Molly Crockett, a professor of psychology at Princeton. The GSRC will also hold an “arts and crafts” session for crocheting.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion — Campus Life at Princeton University held a “post election decompression space” on Wednesday, and the Office of Religious Life will hold an event titled “Holding Space: The Work of Active Listening and Compassion” on Thursday evening.
The Carl A. Fields Center at Princeton University is hosting a “community care dinner” on Thursday evening. “The food is seasoned,” the Carl A. Fields Center advertised. “The community care sacred.”
Sunrise Princeton, a student-run climate-activism group, held a gathering “to process the election” with craft-making on Wednesday.
“Last night was devastating to watch,” the group Sunrise Princeton wrote in an email. “Many of us are feeling frustrated, scared, uncertain — a whole mishmash of (mostly not good) emotions.”
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