By Maxine Friedman

2020 has presented itself with many different obstacles. From COVID-19 to nationwide civil unrest to an anxiety-ridden year of election anticipation, Americans haven’t been able to catch a break — especially college students.

As if having to take courses online and socially distance from friends wasn’t enough, two UMD students say that it’s been stressful to discuss their own political views and fears during this election year. According to the two students, UMD hasn’t really addressed that at all. 

Evan Hecht, a sophomore journalism major at UMD, is from Tenafly, New Jersey — a relatively liberal area. Having grown up there, he said he’s only ever had conversations about more left-leaning ideals. In fact, when President Donald Trump first came into office in 2017, Hecht said “I honestly thought it was a joke.” Hecht says that he’s a registered Democrat. 

Meanwhile, Debra Schwartzben, a junior government and politics major at UMD, is from Manhattan, NY and identifies as a conservative. However, she said that she hasn’t always agreed with conservative ideologies. Coming from Manhattan, NY — a primarily democratic area — she had once considered herself to be very liberal. 

Though when President Trump began his campaign for presidency, she was heavily influenced by friends to support Trump and to learn more about what conservatives and Republicans believed in. 

“I started realizing that I don’t want to live in the world that the Democrats are presenting. And having the values of family, religion and God are very important to me. And I don’t really see any room for that on the left,” said Schwartzben. 

While the two students have chosen to associate with parties on opposite ends of the political scale, the one thing that they both agree on is the fear they feel to vocalize their political views and opinions with others — and they’re not alone in feeling that way.

In a survey conducted by Maxine Friedman for SBS on December 10 through Facebook, 50% of the 44 UMD students who participated said that they feel scared or nervous to share their political affiliations or views with others around them. 

During a time where almost everything seems unpredictable, the students said that it’s been hard to know how people will react to what they have to say or what they support, considering the polarizing nature of current American politics. 

In some cases, the consequence of those hard conversations involve hurting, or even losing, a friend. According to the survey, 27% of the students said they’ve lost a friend because of their political beliefs. 

“I am very left-leaning, but I tend to be a little bit more silent partially because of journalism… but I have said some things that have offended some of my friends and made them really hurt, but at the end of the day it’s my perspective on it. You don’t have to agree with my perspective,” said Hecht. 

Schwartzben has also had numerous encounters with classmates and friends. She said there have even been people who follow her political instagram account just to post hateful comments. 

In other cases, the consequence is harassment.

“It’s so hard to be a conservative, you’re fought everywhere you go … Like, I can’t wear my Trump hat anywhere because I get scared I’m going to be attacked or my car is going to get keyed. It’s not fair,” Schwartzben said.  

She even noted that the hatred and discrimination is brought into the classroom sometimes.

On Nov. 14, just days after the results of the election were announced, a crowd of Trump supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Million MAGA March.  

While he had gone into the city primarily to visit a family member, Hecht said he did get a chance to witness the march.  

He said he saw many people with MAGA gear on and signs in hand – a sight he’s never seen before. Having already felt the “shell shock” of watching the large group of Trump supporters gather, he said what shocked him the most was a sign that read “Democrats Are Racists.” 

Of course, he said, he had gone into D.C. “on the day of a white supremacist march looking very flamboyant and meeting my cousin, who also dresses very boldy.” 

Hecht said when he was alone waiting for the train later that evening, he became paranoid that he would be harassed. 

“There was a brief moment where I thought people were following me… Thank God they weren’t following me, but you have that fear in the back of your head,” Hecht said. 

Luckily, Hecht and Schwartzben have learned to grow thick skin and to surround themselves with people who are open-minded and willing to have a friendly discussion. 

“I mean, I am also speaking from outside experience because I choose to wear my heart on my sleeve and proudly be who I am. I kind of have that subconscious fear no matter where I am. Whether I’m in a major city, whether I’m by myself walking down the street – of even my own town. It’s just kind of a natural anxiety, but I feel like that anxiety gets heightened around that type of person – just because of the hateful narrative [President Trump has] created,” Hecht said.

Conversely, Schwartzben, a member of a national organization called Turning Point USA, participated in the Million MAGA March with other Turning Point USA members. She said that during the march, she finally felt “at home” and was moved by the overwhelming number of people all there supporting the same thing she was. 

“My friend and I wanted to cry because I’ve never felt such unity in one place,” she said. 

Schwartzben, who brought Turning Point USA to the University of Maryland campus her freshman year, has been able to make friends with many of the group members who support Trump as well. 

According to their Facebook page, “Turning Point USA educates students about the importance of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government. Through non-partisan debate, dialogue, and discussion, Turning Point USA believes that every young person can be enlightened to true free market values.”

There are about 100 members in the organization’s UMD chapter, Schwartzben said, not all of whom are conservatives like her. She said the membership also consists of liberals, libertarians, and even conservatives who did not vote for Trump.

Even still, Schwartzben said that Turning Point USA has provided her with a safe space to talk openly about current issues and contribute to political debates without any fear.

However, it was not so easy for Schwartzben to get such an organization to come to UMD’s campus. She said that many groups like Turning Point USA have often been blocked by UMD’s administration — but especially SGA.

“SGA has done everything in their power to fight us getting established on campus last year,” Schwartzben said. After many requests to get the club registered, the club finally was recognized. But even then, Schwartzben said Turning Point had consistently been denied any acknowledgement or access to tables (pre-COVID) for tabling on the College Park campus. 

SGA has not replied for comment. 

Hecht also agrees with this point saying that the only time he remembered hearing from the school about the current political climate was just the night before Election Day, telling students to stay safe. 

However, on November 7, 2020, president of the university, Darryll J. Pines, sent out a message in regards to the “Historical 2020 Election.”

“As we pause for this historic moment, we do not forget where we stand right now. We still face imminent challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, climate change and other Grand Challenges of our time. And yet we are confronted with empirical evidence that our nation remains split down the middle in far too many ways,” the message said.

Following that message, though, the school has remained silent about the obvious political divide and discomfort that still exists within the community. COVID-19 restrictions have made it hard to unite the community in the first place. 

While both students do not necessarily agree on all things politics, Hecht and Schwartzben both feel that people, especially students, should be able to be hypercritical of their government while remaining open-minded when listening to others.

Featured image: Trump supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Million MAGA March on Nov. 14, days after Joe Biden’s election win was announced. 

Photo courtesy of Debra Schwartzben.