University of Iowa to offer support spaces for students to reflect on the election

The Election Support Spaces, hosted by the Campus Inclusion Team, will hold online and in-person group meetings through Nov. 19.

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Hayden Froehlich

The Old Capitol building is seen on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019.

Clinton Garlock, News Reporter


University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld is encouraging fellow Hawkeyes to vote and manage their expectations for the results of the election by offering links to voting information and resources, such as “Election Support Spaces”.

The support spaces include meetings held both virtually and in-person for UI faculty, staff, and students to reflect on the results of the election, according to a campus-wide email sent on Tuesday.

Harreld said in the email that there would be a pre-election meeting for students, faculty, and staff held on Tuesday titled Mindful & Engaged Hawkeyes: Checking in Pre Election, to be held in-person at 3:30 p.m. in the Iowa Memorial Union with adherence to physical distancing. 

A general Post-Election Support meeting, open to all students, will be held on Wednesday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. via Zoom. Two other group meetings to be held online on Wednesday, one sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center and the other sponsored by the Afro-American Cultural Center.

The Campus Inclusion Team will continue to hold both online and in-person support spaces through Nov. 19 for both emotional processing, support, and follow-up. 

Some of these meetings will be identity-specific, such as the Pride Alliance Center Election Processing and Latino Native American Cultural Center Election Processing, while others will be open to all students.

The email said these opportunities are maintaining the UI’s commitment to freedom of speech and expression, and encouraged students to rely on trusted news sources as the election unfolds.

“As Hawkeyes, we know that while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, they are not entitled to their own facts,” said Harreld.