POLL: College Post-Election Support Groups Called Both ‘Healthy’ and ‘Coddling’

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GENESEO – There seem to be two opposite responses to SUNY Geneseo’s post-election support groups, announced after the Nov. 8 election.

Some say that support groups prevent students from learning to overcome the anxiety of life on their own, and others say that the sessions help students maturely cope with serious concerns after the election.

“My goodness, children. We don’t get our own way, so we have a hissy-fit,” posted Becky Lane to Facebook. “Must be this has worked for you in the past, with your parents, teachers, friends, etc. However, you’ve been misled. Life isn’t like that – you don’t always get your own way. You get up, dust yourself off, and get on with life. The sooner you learn this, the better off you’re going to be.”

“God forbid anyone get therapy for something important to their life – especially when emotionally invested in an election that causes grief,” posted Michael Delaney. “I bet these ‘kids’ are substantially more emotionally healthy than all of you trolls. Go see a therapist.”

“Ugh. This is what happens when everyone gets a trophy,” posted Ryan Sahrle. “They are never taught to cope with disappointments in life. Get. Over. It. Move on. Be kind. Smile. Help your neighbors, friends, families, strangers… Be a decent person. True power of life lessons start at home. Raise confident, smart, tolerant people.”

“I don’t really think having a support group is that bad,” posted Liz KB. “It’s not like they cancelled class or postponed normal activities. Actually, you can increase your resilience and emotional intelligence by doing stuff like this, which helps develop coping skills and prevent anger from bubbling over. I don’t really understand why this is a big deal, would you rather they use this energy angrily and cause riots and violence? Doesn’t make sense to me. Holding in emotions just makes you a more angry person and increases your chances of becoming violent, ‘snapping,’ and/or committing crime.”

Students who have attended the sessions say that many others are also attending and found them helpful.

“The amount of people that have showed up to the meetings to help support people who are scared shows that there’s a lot of people who want to come together and show a sense of unity on campus,” said senior Nana Boakye.

“You had enemies your whole life,” said senor Alpha Barry. “Just poke your chin up, travel in groups, and we’re here to help you and everything will be alright.”

Other community members say that the lesson here is to learn to move on.

“The sun will rise and set tomorrow and the next day. Life goes on and so do we,” posted Leslie LaCourse. “In the past people did not like certain Presidents,but never have they had a meltdown when the election did not go their way.”

“Disappointed that we aren’t teaching are young adults to pull up their boot straps and move on with their day to day lives,” posted Sandy Bostwick-Spencer. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to face more difficult challenges in the future, will the college be there with milk and cookies then? Pathetic!”

 

SUNY Geneseo President Denise Battles gave the following statement following the election:

“This week’s elections brought to a conclusion a political season that was marked by much passion and, at times, contention. That being the case, it should come as no surprise that the outcomes will be subject to great passion as well. I would like to take this opportunity to remind us of the values that draw us, the Geneseo community, together.

‘Just this month, we reaffirmed these values through our revised and enhanced SUNY Geneseo Strategic Diversity Plan. As noted in that document, Geneseo embraces the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are central to a thriving community. We recognize that those who learn, teach, work, and visit our community bring to the College unique perspectives and knowledge that contribute to its richness and vibrancy. Geneseo respects the unique contributions of each individual to the campus community and considers diversity as an essential set of strategies for realizing the College mission of excellence in education.

‘Our plan — and I — call on all members of our community to share responsibility for the ongoing work of continually recreating a sense of inclusion, belonging, and empowerment, so that together we will achieve our individual and collective aims, and experience the intellectual freedom that is at the heart of the liberal educational enterprise.

‘I will also note that a range of support services is available to anyone who would like to seek these resources.”