c/o Kiran Eastman
On Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, approximately 30 students gathered in Boger Hall for a post-inauguration discussion on student organizing efforts under the new Trump administration, moderated by the Wesleyan Democrats’ (WesDems) Executive Committee. Their discussions focused on the flaws of the unsuccessful Harris campaign and the future of student organizing on campus in the face of the newly empowered administration, which has publicly committed to a number of policy goals impact students directly, including the reversal of DEI initiatives and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
WesDems was revived after a period of inactivity last semester through the ‘Wes4Harris’ campaign—a coalition of students, alumni, and faculty members supporting the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The campaign hosted a fundraising event, tabled in the Usdan Student Center to promote student voter registration, and organized multiple canvassing trips to swing districts in Pennsylvania last semester.
Discussion was prompted with a variety of questions, including “Who should be responsible for losing?” “Do Democrats need to be more populist?” and several others. Students were split into groups to discuss these questions in detail, commenting on their personal experiences in grassroots organizing, worries about the new presidency, and organizing ideas for the semester.
“I was so surprised because people had so much to say,” WesDems Chair Luca D’Agruma ’27 said. “We weren’t even able to get through half our slides.”
The event was an opportunity for students well-versed in American politics, like D’Agruma, and students new to discussions like these to learn from each other.
“I’ve never been to a partisan meeting before, and it was interesting to see the relationships and how that kind of community works,” Celeste Belin ’28, who is an international student from Hong Kong, said.
After some reflection on the 2024 election, students began to look forward to their plans for the future. After brainstorming in groups, students expressed that they wanted to see WesDems host more community organizing trainings, phone banking sessions, and coalition building on campus.
“The biggest thing that I learned is that there are passionate students on campus who care about certain issues and want to make change and better the lives of people. I also learned that there are students who care deeply about their country and about their government,” Belin said.
Students in attendance shared many reasons for their participation in the WesDems’ open forum and their interest in progressive organizing at Wesleyan.
“I was really impressed by the breadth of people and ideologies and I feel like we were successful in bringing people together,” Casey Dunning-Sorey ’28 said.
Despite many students’ fears surrounding Trump, who has thus far utilized his executive power on an unprecedented scope, the room had an atmosphere of optimism and hope. As the forum drew to a close, students from a variety of backgrounds shared their aspirations and goals for the future of political organizing on campus.
“I’m very concerned about this upcoming group of Democrats, and I think we need to be working at a younger and lower level to be transforming the future of our party,” Claire Kaltsas ’27 said.
Kiran Eastman can be reached at kbleakneyeas@wesleyan.edu.