The Election at Bryn Mawr

By Olivia z. '24

The 2020 presidential election has been as contentious as any in American history. Divisions among political parties and presidential candidates have further separated our country. Perhaps it is the fact that the sitting administration referred to the election as corrupt before it even began. Perhaps it was because many media outlets presented this election as an opportunity for good to triumph over evil. Regardless, it is clear that this division naturally trickled down into all communities, including Bryn Mawr.

This school year has already been very different from any in the past. The COVID-19 pandemic proceeding around us is already a stressful situation for many, and a presidential election just adds to that anxiety. Differing political opinions can now be more polarizing than ever. As a result of the divisiveness of this election, coupled with the already unconventional “hybrid learning,” much of Bryn Mawr’s focus this year has been to emphasize the togetherness within our school community.

As part of this mission, Bryn Mawr organized activities for students to bond and enjoy each other’s company despite differences in political beliefs. They even gave every student a “Bryn Mawr Together” shirt to remind us of the importance of friendship and community. On Election Day, students were asked to wear these shirts while participating in different activities. The intent behind these events was clear: to help students feel united. When asked to respond to a survey, most students agreed that the activities were fun and provided a distraction from the stress of the election itself; however, many students felt that the activities had little effect on the feelings of our community as a whole. As for the “Bryn Mawr Together” shirts, there was a similar agreement among students; the shirts did not significantly impact on the community, with some students pointing out that the shirts themselves were blue, the color of the Democratic party.

During this election season, the entire Upper School also participated in conflict resolution seminars.  Mme. McAndrew reported that these conflict resolution seminars were designed to “create a feeling of safety among students, and improve discourse.” But, like the activities, most students seemed to think the seminars were unnecessary. 69.4% of students surveyed responded that the conflict resolution seminars were ineffective in helping students to resolve conflict, and 72.2% of students said that they had not utilized what they learned during the seminars. Many individuals said they appreciated the knowledge they had obtained but did not anticipate having to utilize it. Other students said that there was no need for the seminars since students were attending school in person so little. Another group suggested that the seminars were unnecessary, as conflict would occur with or without the seminars. 

An overwhelming majority of our survey responses came from more moderate to liberal individuals. This likely indicates that Bryn Mawr Upper School students skew liberal overall.  Considering that Maryland has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1988, this assumption isn’t surprising. Students identifying as liberal generally expressed feeling accepted and supported in their political beliefs on campus, while all of the individuals who self-identified as conservative responded to the survey saying that they had felt alienated from their peers due to their political views.

While it is clear that Bryn Mawr’s administration noticed the national tension surrounding this election season and put thought and effort into offsetting this tension on campus, it seems that their efforts were not very well-received. When it comes to an issue as sensitive and personal as our individual politics,  perhaps there isn’t much that Bryn Mawr, or any institution for that matter, can do to make everyone comfortable with the results.