Post-Trump win blues: Harvard, Princeton classes cancelled to let students ‘recover’ from election results

Professors at Harvard and Princeton cancelled several classes after Donald Trump’s 2024 US election victory. In addition to calling off classes, both universities handled the development delicately, offering pro-Kamala students enough room to prepare emotionally for the Republican leader's second term. Students were particularly shaken by Trump’s landslide win over Vice President Kamala Harris, as many expected her to take the lead.

How Harvard University dealt with the situation

The Harvard Crimson, a student-run paper, reported that while some courses were cancelled on Wednesday, attendance was otherwise made optional, and assignment deadlines were extended.

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“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,” Harvard’s economics lecturer Maxim Boycko wrote in a Wednesday email to students. “Feel free to take time off if needed.”

“Being at Harvard, I was surrounded by a lot of people who were very pro-Harris, so in my mind it was already a decided election, said Samantha Holtz. “It was a little bit shocking to me.”

Luke P Kushner remarked, “Very early on in the night it became pretty clear that it was going to go in the direction of Trump. I went to bed before they called it, and at that point I was pretty resigned.”

Physics professor Jennifer E. Hoffman lifted the mood by offering her office as 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 in an email to physics students and faculty. “I stress-baked several pans of lemon bars to share.”

Ultimately, the Harvard College Democrats voiced their support for Kamala Harris despite her defeat. “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,” read the statement. “We are proud to endorse a campaign that centred joy, community, and a belief in the immense potential of this great nation.”

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Princeton University also joined the move

Similarly, the National Review reported that Princeton University cancelled at least two classes on Wednesday. An undergraduate student told the outlet that all precepts for their “Social Cognition: The Psychology of Interactive Minds” were cancelled for the week. Moreover, students were told at the beginning of the Thursday lecture that they could leave midway if they weren’t emotionally ready to participate.

To address student anxieties, 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,” university spokesperson Jennifer Morrill told the student publication Daily Princetonian.

Other than that, Princeton’s Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) held a post-election discussion” where the conversation surrounding queer/trans concerns was led. The GSRC also sponsored a “meditation session” with a professor of psychology. Numerous other “decompression” spaces and community gatherings were organised as well.

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