Unlike some of its Ivy League counterparts, Princeton does not take Election Day off as a holiday, meaning that students and professors are expected to attend class per usual. Across campus, professors took different approaches towards their class schedules.
Some professors canceled class or encouraged students to skip in order to class their ballots. Others, however, scheduled exams and other assignments for the day after the election, which some despite the historic day. In interviews with The Daily Princetonian, students expressed a desire for professors to offer more opportunities for students to experience this historical election, both by facilitating discussions in class and rescheduling assignments or assessments.
Yuka Childers ’26 wrote to the ‘Prince’ that her class, PSY 341: The Psychology of Adversity with psychology professor Rebecca Carey, was canceled for Election Day.
“I think it’s great that it was canceled — it is very considerate of my professor and really emphasizes how important it is to vote in this election,” Childers wrote. “Our professor explained that it is our civic duty to vote and that she wants us to make sure we have the time to vote,” she added.
Other students were grateful for their professors devoting class time to discussions about voting and the election.
Anna Haberl ’28, from Salzburg, Austria, told the ‘Prince’ in an interview that in POL 388: Causes of War, politics professor Gary J. Bass devoted at least one third of a class period to discussing the election.
“Professor Bass was basically just sharing his thoughts and providing an interesting viewpoint on how he sees the election,” she said.
Haberl added that as an international student, she was excited to learn about a variety of perspectives today, including from her professors.
Some students voiced disappointment regarding assessments scheduled around Election Day, which they view as distracting from the historical moment. One of Haberl’s classes, ECO 100: Introduction to Microeconomics with professor Kelly Noonan, has a quiz scheduled for the morning after the election.
“I think it’s a very special day … and I would just like to have more time to actually experience it fully without having anything else to worry about,” she said.
Logan Simmons ’28, a first-year student in Vote100, told the ‘Prince’ she feels strongly that student mental health should be prioritized due to the all-consuming nature of the presidential election.
“I don’t know that [Princeton] should cancel class tomorrow, but I think they should definitely be understanding, and, yeah, no tests,” she said in an interview. “I kind of wish there had been more space to have a conversation.”
Some professors are carving out time from their classes to have these conversations in the aftermath of the election. In a Nov. 4 Canvas announcement obtained by the ‘Prince,’ POL 220: American Politics professor Sarah Staszak shared that the class will be discussing the election on Wednesday. She assigned a reading that “offers an interesting typology to think about what ‘type’ of president the next one will be once in office,” according to the announcement.
The University is also offering students various ways to process the election. Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion are offering listening circles and decompression spaces on Nov. 6. Meanwhile, the Office of Religious Life is holding a silent meditation lunch on Nov. 7, as well as an active listening workshop on Nov. 12.
Laila Hartman-Sigall is a News contributor for the ‘Prince’ from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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