November’s election results spurred a boiling pot of mixed emotions from people throughout the nation, and Inauguration Day added to pre-existing notions and doubts for some.

Political groups on campus are reiterating who they are and what the next steps are in moving forward post-inauguration.

Spencer Haydary, president of Illini Democrats and senior in LAS, said after 2016’s Democratic loss, the organization has focused on getting back in touch with the American people.

“(We felt) shock,” Haydary said. “We really underestimated what the power of hate is and what the power of divisiveness is. It’s a mixed blessing in some sort of way now that we are able to really re-envision the role of the Democratic party.”

After the tumultuous rhetoric that took place during election season, the Illini Democrats anticipate placing its concerns in advocating for students of all backgrounds.

“We’re really concerned with the safety of undocumented students on this campus and that any sort of violence is going to be committed towards any minority group, with the status of LGBT members at the University and as well as throughout the country,” Haydary said.

The Illini Democrats’ next steps consist of pairing with members of the community, planning and promoting an ad campaign and working with other campus leaders and activist groups in order to fulfill its democratic work on campus and making students’ voices heard, as well as discussing how to move forward and what the new presidency means.

“We’re going to mobilize our student body because you have a lot of politically motivated students who are on this campus and who really care about the issues,” Haydary said. “We need to tap into that resource, and we need to get back in touch with the people that we obviously left behind in this election.”

Timothy Kilcullen, vice president of Illini Republicans and senior in LAS, said the Illini Republicans are focused on creating a conservative voice on campus and the community. Kilcullen said the political divide in the nation has been exaggerated.

“My belief, which is shared by most of our members, is that if we are able to clearly articulate our ideals, students will realize that they share a lot of the same values as us,” Kilcullen said. “The GOP has a bad stigma on campus, but I think when people get an opportunity to look at the party’s actual platform and the work it does, they will realize a lot of their fears and preconceptions are unfounded.”

With the diversity of political ideologies on campus, the Illini Republicans work to reach out to fellow conservatives and allow them to voice their opinions and talk about the issues they believe in.

They also look toward working with other political groups on campus such as Democrats and Libertarians to organize debates.

As for concerns that have been raised by many, the concerns the Illini Republicans hold for their party are different.

“(We make) sure the administration is respectful of our beliefs,” Kilcullen said. “Though by and large the school has been extremely helpful and encouraging, the club does feel that too many classes are biased towards specific ideologies and too many school events, particularly in Campus Housing, excludes conservatives.”

With the shift in power that has created an abundance of protests throughout the country and the nation’s struggle to accept Trump as the new president, the Illini Republicans view the change differently.

“Our organization is generally optimistic about the new administration. This is about so much more than Donald Trump. It’s about the Senate and House finally getting the opportunity to enact their ideas,” Kilcullen said.

Kilcullen said it’s also about getting the Supreme Court to respect the Constitution and stand up to corruption and lies. He said it’s about helping Americans to no longer be ignored and to help them find their voice.

As for other political groups on campus, like Illini Libertarians, the past election demonstrated an intensified political polarization.

Sam Erickson, founder and president of Illini Libertarians, said there is a misconception that voters only have two parties to choose from.

“What people fail to realize is that you don’t have to agree with every single detail in order to align with a party,” Erickson said. “On top of that, there are far more than two parties in this country, which could grow and are growing, if people would stop buying into this ‘lesser of two evils’ fallacy.”

Erickson said sharing views with other groups is feasible by collaborating with similar groups like Young Americans for Liberty and Turning Point USA.

“We’d even be willing to work with College Republicans, Illini Democrats and Illini Young Green Party in any areas where we share a point of view.

“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to reach across party lines if it’s to support something we both stand for,” he said.

Though the change in the presidency won’t affect the Illini Libertarians’ goals as an organization, their goals are still to support topics they agree with, and they hope to focus more on how to connect with others.

“With last semester being all work and no play, we’ll probably try to hold more social events this semester,” Erickson said. “We’re also thinking about trying to organize a debate with all the other party-affiliated political groups on campus, to help highlight how we’re alike and how we’re different.”

[email protected]