I have been trying so hard to not write a political article during this election. I have tried to stay out of it for the most part, but when Trump came to my campus I couldn’t stay out of it anymore.

There was an obvious feeling of tension around UW- Eau Claire’s campus on Tuesday. In addition to the physical barricades placed on campus, there was an unseen division between the students and faculty. Trump’s presence alone spread a negative feeling throughout campus. I didn’t even see the man although I could feel the hatred of which he supports.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to join the protest all day, but I did stand among the crowd for a while. They held signs in peaceful protest and joined together in chants such as “Love trumps hate”. It was one of the most meaningful experiences I have witnessed. I did not experience any serious retaliation from the Trump supporters first hand, but I did hear stories from friends and fellow students of being insulted and harassed. I am lucky that I was not one of these students but I am outraged that this happened on my campus to people I know and care about. In addition to this, some professors canceled class in order to ensure the safety of their students as well as themselves. Many minorities on campus felt frightened all day. I ask you, is this the kind of country we want? If we can’t even rely on our president to care for the people he governs depending on their race, gender or sexual orientation, who can we turn to? Our president should be for the people, not just for the people that are of the same social status, gender and race as them.

Trump’s visit to the Eau Claire campus sent a shock-wave throughout the entire community and left many university students with a feeling of negativity and disappointment in the university for allowing such an event to take place. Now, I am aware that Trump needed to be allowed on campus for legal reasons, but it was the lack of protection and security that the university and community provided that was the most shocking. Students felt unsafe on their own campus; their own home. If this is the effect his presence can have on the Eau Claire campus in one day, I can only imagine what could happen at a national and even global level in a four-year term.

It has really astonished me that Trump has made it this far in the election, and it absolutely terrifies me that so many people support him. I was just beginning to believe that the nation was starting to move forward. Silly me, to think that we have learned from our mistakes and shameful past of racism and sexism. I know that this election is asking voters to choose between the lesser of two evils, and it isn’t easy. We all know that neither party has its nose completely clean, but here is what I do know: I believe women are more than a number or a “pussy” to grab. I believe that minorities deserve respect and freedom from racism. I believe that love is love no matter someone’s sexual orientation. It is for this reason that I will not be voting for Trump in this election, and I hope you won’t be either. I do not want Donald Trump on my campus, and I sure as hell do not want him in the White House.