O

ne of my favorite quotes 
comes from the poet 
Tyler 
Knott 
Gregson: 

“Out of the darkness, we can 
make light.” In so few words, he 
conveys a very simple 
concept: There is always 
a light at the end of the 
tunnel, but only if we 
seek it. Silver linings do 
not come freely.

It can be difficult, I 

know, to believe there 
will be light in the wake 
of 
this 
presidential 

election. After all, as 
I went to sleep early 
Wednesday 
morning 

with Donald Trump just shy of 
270 electoral votes, I thought the 
world was going to end. Being 
quite the dramatist, I literally 
thought the world would implode 
or explode sooner than America 
would elect Trump into the 
highest office of the country.

But, as it always does, day 

came, and the world didn’t end. 
Nov. 9, 2016, was just another day, 
albeit an extremely gloomy one. 
A depression seemed to settle 
over campus as students trudged 
to and from class (or skipped 
class entirely) with morose faces 
and empty eyes, wondering how, 
how, how could this possibly be 
reality? But don’t mistake this 
depression as defeat. No, we were 
merely taking our rightful time to 
mourn. And when we were done, 
when the shock had settled and 
our hearts finished sinking, we 
found strength and solidarity in 
each other.

That is our silver lining.
Of course, it’s disheartening 

to know that the glass ceiling 
is still very much intact, that 
America will seemingly elect 
anyone, no political experience 
required, into office as long as 
they’re not a woman. My heart 
breaks for my Muslim and 
Mexican peers who suddenly 
have to fear for their lives, and 
I’m angry that the results of the 
election have emboldened closet 
racists to threaten and harass 
people of color, even here in Ann 
Arbor. I’m sickened by the acts of 
hate and intimidation expressed 
on campus. I’m scared that all 
the social progress made in the 

last eight years on behalf of the 
LGBTQ 
community, 
women 

and minority groups will be 
eradicated. 
I’m 
disappointed 

that rape culture is so real that 

half of the country 
is willing to allow 
a man who brags 
about 
sexual 

assault to be the 
face of the country. 
I’m frightened that, 
with a Republican-
controlled 
House 

and Senate, no one 
will stop our future 
president 
from 

building 
a 
wall, 

defunding Planned Parenthood, 
deporting 
undocumented 

immigrants (many of whom 
grew up in America and know 
no other country as home) and 
so much more.

Yes, 
I 
am 
disheartened, 

angry, heartbroken, sickened, 
scared, 
disappointed 
and 

frightened, as many of us are. 
But that’s the important part — 
we are not alone.

Walking across the Diag and 

seeing messages of acceptance 
and kindness scrawled across 
the red brick in the wake of 
the election, it’s clear that this 
university is devoted to diversity, 
safety and compassion in such 
a polarizing time. The swirling 
chalk around my feet — with 
messages such as “You belong 
here” and “Love trumps hate” 
— moved me to tears. The vigil 
on the Diag the night after the 
election was haunting, as candles 
illuminated the faces of hundreds 
of students who showed up to 
support marginalized peers and 
mourn together.

Students 
again 
stood 
in 

solidarity with those who felt 
endangered after the election. 
Music, Theatre & Dance senior 
James Ross Kilmeade organized 
a protest against intimidation 
Saturday night after a student 
was threatened and forced to 
take off her hijab. Other students 
have volunteered on Facebook 
to walk those who feel unsafe 
home at night.

Despite this horrible incident, 

it is heartening to see that, for 
every act of hate this election 

has procured, this university 
and its students respond in 
love. I may be disappointed in 
Michigan as a state for voting 
the way it did, but I couldn’t be 
more proud of the University of 
Michigan for striving to make 
the campus welcoming and 
safe for everyone. It would be 
easy to sit back and say, “We’re 
screwed,” but the overwhelming 
action stemming from pure 
passion shows we will not take 
this loss lying down. In the 
midst of this darkness, the love 
and compassion of students is 
the light we need.

As we enter this trying time 

together, we must preserve our 
small and tentative light, harvest 
it and let it grow with love. In 
other words, we cannot stop. We 
must continue to fight together 
against hate, racism, xenophobia, 
sexism and homophobia with 
peace and unity. We must 
continue to protect our Black, 
Mexican, Muslim, LGBTQ and 
female peers from those who 
feel emboldened to be awful. 
We must continue to make our 
voices heard. We must make this 
loss worth something. We must 
make something good out of it.

And when the going gets 

tough, we must catch the rare 
silver linings. Though she did not 
win the electoral vote, Hillary 
Clinton won the popular vote, 
which shows that a majority of 
this country doesn’t support 
Trump’s message. This election, 
despite its result, has sparked 
important 
conversations 
on 

race, 
immigration, 
women’s 

rights 
and 
so 
much 
more. 

The American Civil Liberties 
Union and Planned Parenthood 
have received an outpouring 
of support and donations in 
the days since the election. A 
map of the Electoral College 
if just millennials voted is 
overwhelmingly 
blue. 
We 

students, in all our anger, 
passion, generosity and empathy 
— we are the future. And in these 
dark times, we must be the light.

Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Friday, November 18, 2016

— Rev. Jesse Jackson addressing protesters at the 
Students4Justice Walkout Wednesday afternoon. 
“

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

We will outlast the meanness, we will 
outlast hate. We will outlast violence. 

Love will conquer hate. ”

Our silver lining

FROM THE DAILY

Response to #NotMyCampus

T 

his week on campus, students continued to react to both the 
presidential election results and the multiple hate crimes that 
have occured in Ann Arbor since, culminating Wednesday when 

nearly 1,000 students joined Rev. Jesse Jackson in a walkout protest 
against racism and violence. However, one reaction stood out because of 
its different focus. Earlier this week, students and others began circulating 
a #NotMyCampus petition condemning and commenting on both recent 
protests and a Nov. 9 vigil on the Diag in response to the election results. 
Appended to the petition were personal statements by community 
members expressing feelings of misrepresentation by the administration 
and exclusion from their community for their conservative viewpoints. 
While it’s vital that campus is a space where all feel comfortable engaging 
in thoughtful dialogue about their political leanings, we feel this petition 
misunderstands the fact that one cannot equate these feelings of exclusion 
to fearing for the safety of their life, a salient concern for students in light 
of recent indicents of violence on this campus. 

We 
recognize 
that 
the 

roughly 10 percent of students 
who 
voted 
for 
President-

elect 
Donald 
Trump 
feel 

excluded, and these feelings are 
legitimate. Research suggests 
that the kind of polarized 
rhetoric 
surrounding 
this 

election could have adverse 
effects on the social progress 
that occurs when we have 
conversations with those who 
hold different views than our 
own. It must be understood that 
many students who voted this 
way do not feel aligned with 
Trump’s offensive ideology and 
voted for him for other reasons. 
But we must also emphasize 
why the majority of our campus 
community is frustrated by 
the students who signed the 
#NotMyCampus petition. We 
fear the petition signers may 
not understand how those who 
are fearful for their physical 
safety see a vote for Trump 
as a vote for racism and other 
discriminatory ideas to reign 
in our world. It is impossible to 
divorce the idea of Trump from 
the offensive rhetoric and racist 
beliefs his campaign promoted, 
legitimized 
and 
normalized. 

It 
is 
concerning 
that 
the 

students who voted for Trump 
— regardless of whether they 
personally support such rhetoric 
— could put aside his alarmingly 
exclusionary 
and 
offensive 

claims and promises, seemingly 
not understanding how this kind 
of speech can harm our country 
and our campus.

The statement under most 

scrutiny by the petition is 
from 
a 
speech 
University 

President Mark Schlissel gave 
at the Nov. 9 vigil, in which he 
stated, “Ninety percent of you 
rejected the kind of hate and the 
fractiousness and the longing for 
some kind of idealized version 
of a non-existent yesterday 
that was expressed during the 
campaign.” With these remarks, 
Schlissel made two parallels: 
A vote for a candidate other 
than Trump is a vote against 
hate, and by extension, a vote 
for Trump is a vote for hate. 
Though 
somewhat 
indirect, 

this second parallel — along 
with administrators’ extensive 
outreach to students both over 
email and through presence 
at protests — understandably 
made many students who voted 
for Trump feel ostracized. We 
feel that Schlissel’s quote was 
not attempting to condemn 
students who voted for Trump, 
but rather prioritizing students 
who are grieving, suffering or 
fearing for their livelihood. 
But we also believe Schlissel 
should and could represent 
and support the 90 percent of 
students who voted against 
Trump without rejecting the 
10 percent of students who did 
by affirming student safety 
and concerns without wading 
into ideology. It is vital that 
Schlissel understands this and 
urges our community to come 
together instead of deepening 
the divide. 

We do want to acknowledge 

the proactive approach Schlissel 
and other administrators have 
taken. In the recent past, from 
the #BBUM movement to the 
protests against racist posters 
to the creation of this year’s 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 
Plan, administrators have been 
criticized by students for not 
engaging with students enough 
and 
not 
providing 
genuine 

support 
when 
students 
are 

both frustrated and hurting. 
This week, Schlissel and many 
administrators and staff have 
been present and supportive. 
In comparison to the University 
administration’s past responses 
to 
students’ 
concerns 
on 

campus, Schlissel and other 
administrators’ 
responses 

to hateful rhetoric should be 
commended. 

Everyone in our University 

community must be careful 
not to denounce conservative 
or 
Republican 
ideology 

and 
increase 
the 
harmful 

polarization that has made 
Trump 
the 
president-elect. 

Though the 10 percent’s feelings 
of exclusion should be heard, 
these same students must, in 
turn, hear and understand why 
marginalized 
communities 

and their allies feel their 
votes supporting Trump are 
votes supporting racism. Only 
when both sides have listened 
and heard this can we begin to 
move forward toward a more 
productive, safe and united 
campus.

Don’t let BDS divide us

ALONA HENIG | OP-ED

M

y parents were born 
and raised in Israel, 
and lived there until 

they were 28 years old. They’re 
my only family members who 
don’t currently live in Israel, so 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 
is very near and dear to my 
heart. Human rights have also 
always been important to me. 
Last year, I met two Palestinian 
refugees around my age, and 
they welcomed me into their 
home. They offered me tea and 
cookies and showed me love, 
despite coming from a country 
whose military evicted them 
from their homes. At that point 
I knew I had to do something.

It’s incredible what three 

letters can do to a student 
body. As soon as “BDS: Boycott, 
Divest, Sanctions” is heard, we 
shut down — we pick a side. 
Some consider it a divisive 
movement, but I don’t believe 
the resolution’s intention is to 
divide us. I genuinely believe 
the Palestinian students and 
authors 
of 
this 
resolution 

are not solely at fault for this 
division — we all are.

It’s easy to stand divided, 

to surround ourselves with 
comfortable conversation and 
put down the other side. And at 
times, I do it, too. I sometimes 
shut down and tell myself BDS 
isn’t constructive and will 
drive us farther from peace. 
If we reject this proposal, 
however, then we must find an 
alternative, one that will also 
work to end the occupation of 
the West Bank and Gaza Strip 
and one that will ensure self-
determination for both Israelis 
and Palestinians. We must find 
ways to strive for peace and 
collaboration in this effort.

My 
goal, 
along 
with 
J 

Street U’s goal, is to end the 

occupation in Gaza and the 
West Bank. We strive to find 
a two-state solution — a way 
for both peoples to obtain 
and maintain sovereignty and 
liberty from one another, with 
neither side having power over 
the other, which is so clearly 
not the case right now.

The BDS movement is scary 

because it’s seen as a threat to 
Israel’s security and, globally, 
doesn’t 
recognize 
Israel’s 

right to exist as a Jewish and 
democratic state. I understand 
this is a high priority for many 
students and faculty members at 
this University. When we hear 
BDS, we, specifically Jews 
on campus, are concerned 
Israel is in danger. This 
fear is valid — it comes 
from a genuine place, but 
that fear cannot overpower 
the 
legitimate 
suffering 

taking place throughout the 
occupied territories.

That being said, economic 

pressure is an important part 
of creating change, so I’d like 
to propose an alternative. We, 
as a campus, need to fund 
peace 
projects. 
There 
are 

numerous 
organizations 
in 

the United States, Israel and 
Palestine 
working 
toward 

peace, such as Hand in Hand, 
B’Tselem, The Third Narrative 
and OneVoice. These are really 
incredible 
organizations 

working on the ground to bring 
people together and end the 
violence and hatred evident in 
this conflict.

Avoiding 
one 
another 
and 

working solely to shut one side 
down rather than hearing what 
they have to say will not bring us 
closer to peace. Just yesterday, 
Students Allied for Freedom and 
Equality hosted an event open 
to everyone to come and learn 
and ask questions and discuss. 
We, as members of the pro-Israel 
community, need to take it upon 
ourselves to attend those events.

Let me also add that we 

are all Wolverines here. As 
equal students on this campus, 
we all pay tuition, attend 
challenging classes and walk 
through the same Diag. CSG is 
a governmental body seeking 
to represent us all and it’s time 
to come together. If we, here in 
Ann Arbor, can’t work together 
and challenge ourselves to 
listen to one another, what 
does that say for any hope 
across countries?

We have a responsibility to 

mobilize and work together. 
We must include members 
of all perspectives in the 
conversation. We have to put 
ourselves 
in 
conversations 

that may hurt and frustrate 
us to ultimately come out 
with a better understanding. 
One campus’s BDS decision, 
whether 
approved 
or 
not, 

doesn’t 
end 
the 
atrocities 

happening overseas. I call on 
us to carry this momentum into 
tomorrow and the upcoming 
weeks, months and even years. 
Work to change your lens, to 
undo your bias. Don’t let this 
be an issue we care about today 
but forget about tomorrow.

The 
issue 
is 
incredibly 

controversial, 
but 
that 
is 

good — it brings passion. 
I invite you to join us at J 
Street meetings to learn and 
grow together. I encourage 
you to attend and listen to 
SAFE presentations as well 
as pro-Israel events. We are 
on such an incredible campus 
with so many opportunities to 
challenge ourselves available 
to us, so let’s use them. These 
issues are hard and I’m sorry 
for the hurt they cause, but if 
we want to see change, it has 
to start with us.

LAURA SCHINAGLE

Managing Editor

420 Maynard St. 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

SHOHAM GEVA

Editor in Chief

CLAIRE BRYAN 

and REGAN DETWILER 

Editorial Page Editors

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. 

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

Carolyn Ayaub
Claire Bryan

Regan Detwiler
Brett Graham
Caitlin Heenan
Jeremy Kaplan

Ben Keller
Minsoo Kim

Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy 

Jason Rowland

Ali Safawi

Kevin Sweitzer

Rebecca Tarnopol

Ashley Tjhung

Stephanie Trierweiler

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

Alona Henig is a sophomore in LSA 

and a co-chair of J Street UMich.

ASHLEY ZHANG | COLUMN

ASHLEY
ZHANG

Ashley Zhang can be reached at 

ashleyzh@umich.edu

ALONA HENIG

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