Perspectives from Drew faculty and staff experts
November 2024 – With the charged 2024 Presidential Election underway, Drew University faculty and staff have weighed in to provide perspectives and insights from their areas of expertise.
Jill Cermele, Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean of Faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Caspersen School of Graduate Studies
What is your perspective of this election?
My colleagues in political science and political psychology have done a terrific job commenting on important political, historical, and cultural issues around this election, and the challenges we are facing as a country right now. With that context, my perspective is centered around individual and community well-being; in times of stress and discord, it becomes all the more important to consider how we take care of ourselves and each other.
It’s a moment to ask ourselves what we need, what members of our community—broadly defined—need, and the interface of our own needs with the needs of a healthy and vibrant democracy. It’s easy to mistake self-interest for self-care, and therefore all the more important that we can manage our own stress and fears in a way that preserves our own integrity, the integrity of others, and the integrity of our democracy.
What would you say to people on either side of the aisle who are concerned about the outcome?
As we have become increasingly flooded with misinformation (false or misleading information that is likely unintentionally created), and disinformation (false or misleading information that is intentionally created), our challenge is to actively seek out truth, to understand the ways in which emotion and group identity can contribute to our beliefs, and to strive for respectful, non-violent, and productive responses to the election.