Following Donald Trump’s reelection in the 2024 presidential race, discussions have intensified about the harassment of young women via text and social media.
This harassment has raised concerns about his administration’s history with women’s rights and the ongoing repercussions of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
On Fizz, an anonymous social media app for college students, one post read: “Your body, my choice.” Similar posts followed a comparable narrative, raising concerns about harassment at the Luann Dummer Center for Women and more.
Liz Wilkinson, director of the Luann Dummer Center for Women said she was not aware of any specific harassment cases. But when the center recently collaborated with the Health Access Collective to create posters for a survey on period products to get more free supplies in bathrooms, they were vandalized.
“They were interestingly defaced with sentiments that we needed to seek Jesus or go to hell,” Wilkinson said.
Although Wilkinson acknowledged the vandalism, she said she couldn’t say for certain whether it was tied to post-election harassment.
“There’s just a general feeling of vulnerability post election for women, gender-expansive peoples,” Wilkinson said.
That said, Wilkinson urged people to find comfort and refuge in the LDCW.
“The baseline is we’re here to help people take care of themselves and to be in community with each other,” Wilkinson said.
If one were to be harassed, Wilkinson says individuals should turn to the Title IX office, but in less-extreme cases, Wilkinson suggested practicing what she calls “calling in instead of calling out.”
“When they hear something that is unkind, rather than immediately putting a person in a defensive position, they can do a sort of ‘calling in,’” Wilkinson said.
“It can be a sort of kind question: ‘Why is it that you think that way?’ ‘Is it possible to view this situation differently?’ It is certainly not always going to work. There is a time for calling out, but maybe, there are situations in which you can get a better end result,” she said.
Similar to the LDCW, the University of St. Thomas Title IX coordinator, Julie Thornton, was not made aware of any post-election harassment but still addressed it.
“Just because I haven’t (heard about it), doesn’t mean it’s not right,” Thornton said. “Likely there is an uptick, if you’re hearing about it. It’s just that folks aren’t necessarily coming forward.”
Although the office was not aware of this specific harassment, Thornton encouraged students to report harassment and highlighted the availability of counseling and support services to help those impacted.
“It’s really up to the individual who’s impacted what they want to do,” Thornton said. “If a student has experienced something, or even if an employee has experienced something, it’s really their choice if they want to report it.”
If someone does report something, Thornton can provide them with the resources and guidance they may need.
“Are they wanting to just talk about it? Is that what they need, to express what they experienced and talk about options? Are they wanting to file a complaint and have the university work that through a resolution process, so that there’s disciplinary (action) put in place?” Thornton said. “I wouldn’t be peppering them with that kind of information, but those are the things I would talk about with the individual to try to figure out: what is it that you need? What do you want? And then, together, we can figure out how I can help you.”
Thornton emphasized that she is not the only person at St. Thomas who does this work. She works with many people on campus who also serve as resources.
The University of St. Thomas has the Center for Well-Being with counseling and psychological services, the Dean of Students Office, clergy, hall directors, resident advisors and more that students can turn to for support, Thornton said.
“Bottom line is that I want students to know that they have agency and that their voice matters,” Thornton said.
While St. Thomas students have these resources available to them, Thornton acknowledged that coming forward about harassment can be scary.
Thornton advised those who were hesitant or unsure about reporting harassment or taking action.
“I want people to know that reporting it doesn’t mean that the university is going to take action immediately or that the university is going to take action,” Thornton said. “We need to hear from the student about their experience and want to honor the student’s wishes of what they’d like to happen.”
Thornton went further to explain that there are many options the university and students can take after reporting harassment.
“If a student has something they’ve experienced, what I want them to know is share it, so we can talk about what (they) need and want, and we’ll go from there,” Thornton said. “I think people are reluctant to report because they feel like they might lose control of what might happen next, and I want students to know that you as a student will be a part of that next step.”
Students at St. Thomas can work together to foster a better, safer community, Thornton said.
“We have to be committed to being in a community that cares about each other,” Thornton said. “A culture of care. A culture of civility.”
Cecilia Wallace can be contacted at wall1238@stthomas.edu.
