Higher Education
After Trump victory, OU dean advises students to ‘take intentional breaths, drink water’
Ray Carter | November 7, 2024
In recent years, the outcome of an election has been treated as a trauma-level event by many officials, particularly at the college level.
The University of Oklahoma is apparently not an exception.
In a post-election Nov. 6 post on X, David Surratt, vice president for Student Affairs & Dean of Students at the University of Oklahoma, declared, “Election results can stir a lot of emotions—let’s remember we have the power to care for ourselves and each other. Take breaks, reach out to friends, take intentional breaths, drink water, and check in with those around you. We’re a community, and support is here if you need it. Let’s take care of one another.”
Surratt’s statement is in line with similar advice handed out at other colleges across the country.
Georgetown University provided a “self-care suite” that that included the provision of cocoa, Legos, coloring exercises, and milk and cookies.
Even before the Nov. 5 presidential election, Jaclyn Clevenger, the director of student engagement at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, sent an email to students announcing a “self-care suite” that that included the provision of cocoa, Legos, coloring exercises, and milk and cookies, according to The Free Press.
Officials with Voters of Tomorrow Oklahoma, which worked to support Democratic candidates in this year’s election, similarly shared “self-care” tips in the lead-up to the election.
On Nov. 3, the group’s account on X tweeted, “As Election Day approaches, our executive team will be sharing what they do for self-care during this rather stressful but exciting time,” highlighting how the group’s legislative and political director “treats herself to nature during this election season!”
Straight Arrow News highlighted some other colleges that provided “coping spaces” for students after the election. According to the site, Washington University in St. Louis provided drop-in counseling sessions for students.
While election tensions are normally felt by supporters of both political parties, the emphasis on “self-care” on college campuses often appears amplified when a Republican wins the presidency, and less so when a Democratic candidate prevails.
[For more stories about higher education in Oklahoma, visit AimHigherOK.com.]
Ray Carter
Director, Center for Independent Journalism
Ray Carter is the director of OCPA’s Center for Independent Journalism. He has two decades of experience in journalism and communications. He previously served as senior Capitol reporter for The Journal Record, media director for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and chief editorial writer at The Oklahoman. As a reporter for The Journal Record, Carter received 12 Carl Rogan Awards in four years—including awards for investigative reporting, general news reporting, feature writing, spot news reporting, business reporting, and sports reporting. While at The Oklahoman, he was the recipient of several awards, including first place in the editorial writing category of the Associated Press/Oklahoma News Executives Carl Rogan Memorial News Excellence Competition for an editorial on the history of racism in the Oklahoma legislature.