In a twist that many are calling unexpected, Donald Trump has won the presidency.
To the evident majority, this means a welcome change for the country.
"I think he's the best guy for the job, for sure," said Kyle Ballew, a freshman journalism major. “I feel like he just runs so much on emotion … and people would always trash on him for that, but I think that’ good because you can tell at the debates and during his speeches that he means what he says.”
Ballew said people want something new, something different for their president. And Trump fits that mold.
“Based off him being a billionaire businessman, I feel like he would be good for the economic factor of our country,” Ballew said. “People always want to say, ‘But he’s been bankrupt six times’ … If he’s been bankrupt six times, then he’s pulled himself out of bankruptcy seven times.”
He compared Trump to former president Ronald Reagan — an actor turned politician — who people loved.
Trump wasn’t Ballew’s first choice, but once he started doing more research and watching the debates, he ended up favoring Trump instead of just not liking Clinton.
“I think all the stuff people don’t like about him, I kind of liked,” he said.
AN UNEXPECTED TWIST
Sean Hildebrand, a political science professor, had given Hillary Clinton a 90 percent chance of winning. He never gave much thought to Trump winning.
“It just seemed like the statistics and polls and everything — even with all her trouble with the emails and that kind of stuff, it was still looking like she would be solid,” Hildebrand said.
Even the predictions pre-polls closing showed a Clinton victory, but as the night went on, Trump’s lead just kept growing. Trump won the most electoral votes — 276 to Clinton's 228 — but Clinton won the popular vote by almost 200,000 votes.
"Even with all her trouble with the emails and that kind of stuff, it was still looking like she would be solid," Hildebrand said.
But Trump prevailed in the end.
"Trump is not a bad person," said Jason Towe, a sophomore finance major. "I'm inspired by his ability to rally people....People say Trump's a bad ambassador, but if he was a bad ambassador for his company, he wouldn't be as successful as he is."
A CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT
To many, Trump's victory means they lose their chance to see the first woman president take office.
“My eyes are bloodshot, my mind is racing and my body is numb,” Kam Bontrager, a sophomore family and consumer science education major, tweeted as the results poured in.
And in another tweet: “I’m sorry people supported racism over equality … [and] sexism over women’s rights.”
As an openly gay man, Bontrager said in a previous interview that he voted for Hillary Clinton for protection of LGBT marriage equality and his civil rights. On Tuesday night, Bontrager said he was too emotional about the results to speak.
“My heart is breaking for LGBT, Muslims, Mexicans, Women and climate change,” Bontrager tweeted. “I’m beyond scared.”
But, above all the drama and controversies, he pulled out a win, shattering what almost every poll had predicted — a Clinton victory.
For Carol Street, an archivist for architectural records at Bracken Library, a Clinton presidency would have meant a change in how women are treated in the U.S.
“As women, we still tend to accommodate and deal with instances of gender discrimination,” Street said. “It’s more subtle than it used to be, but still there.”
It’s taken the U.S. so long to have a female on the ballot, and the country passed up what would have been a “watershed moment for this country,” Street said.
Read More
'It's something we've always lived for:' Delta outlasts Muncie Central in overtime victory
By Zach Carter / 11 hours agoDelta junior Lucas Brag led with 16 points as the Eagles defeated the Muncie Central Bearcats 49-46.
Ball State wins back-to-back games with win over Evansville
By Zach Carter / 16 hours agoSenior center Payton Sparks led with 20 points as Ball State downed Evansville 80-43.
Medical Marijuana improves the quality of life with certain afflictions
By Meghan Sawitzke / 23 hours agoMedical Marijuana should be legal everywhere; proof of prescription and documentation from doctors should prevent disciplinary action unless it is causing harm to others.
