Trump Supporters Rate Exeter Poorly
Following violence at Republican front runner Donald Trump’s cancelled rally in Chicago due to security concerns, half of the crowd erupted in cheers when the cancellation was pronounced; the other half slowly filed out of the arena. “We want Trump” and “We stumped Trump” rang and blended inside the building. The conflict continued online that night: Trump supporters and protesters alike took to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to recount the night and express their sentiments. One of the many who stumbled into this online chaos was Diana Chavira—one of 15 college students admitted as five-week interns for the 2016 Exeter Summer School.
After the rally, Chavira posted photos of herself in the rally with the following caption: “Successfully infiltrated the rally as Trump supporters. Once Trump cancelled the rally, half the arena took off their Trump shirts, held up their hidden anti-Trump signs and became the voice of the people. Tonight was a great day for Chicago. So proud of you all.”
“The attacks on my school speak volumes about those who attack us, but little about my school itself.”
Supporters of Trump, who discovered Chavira’s photos almost immediately, began to attack her. During this process, they also discovered her Facebook profile, which indicated that her place of work was Phillips Exeter Academy. The upset Trump supporters, unaware that Chavira had not yet started teaching at Exeter, then directed their attacks to the Academy’s Facebook page.
Dozens of Trump supporters posted angry messages in the reviews section of the Facebook page, rating PEA one star out of five. These harsh ratings brought down Exeter’s overall Facebook rating significantly—from a high four to now 3.5 stars. Currently, the page has 92 one-star ratings, 7 two-star ratings, 1 three-star rating, 3 four-star ratings and 160 five-star ratings.
Some accused Exeter of condoning violence and stated that the school “is no better than ISIS or the Taliban.” One supporter named Ben Robison commented on March 12, “Nice job supporting domestic terrorism and shutting down other people’s right to free speech!” Another named Amber Charlton commented, “This place is a joke!!! Hiring teachers that causes violence and riots at Trump’s peaceful rally. She caused innocent lives & law enforcement to be put in danger.”
All of those who commented on Exeter’s page said that Chavira was not fit to teach and feared that she would be a poor influence on students. Some chose to insult students and one reviewer said that he now understood “why those little brats are so brainwashed.”
These sentiments were met with positive rebuttals from members of the Academy community. Current students, alumni and parents began to rate the Academy, increasing the five-star ratings. Many defended the Academy and the community. Lower Timothy Han, for example, commented, “I’m proud of my school. The attacks on my school speak volumes about those who attack us, but little about my school itself. It’s the greatest institution I’ve ever been in, an incredibly close community and a wonderful experience.”
Aurello D’Amico, father of prep Alayna D’Amico, said that he is proud of his two daughters who attended the Academy. He added that he supports the school, the faculty and staff. “They have always chosen excellent teachers for the school, and I have no doubt that Ms. Chavira would be one of them,” he commented. “If you want to find a place to attack her, do it elsewhere than on the school’s Facebook page.”
Some who are unaffiliated with Exeter also commented on the Academy’s page with positive reviews. One online user named Cookie Picard commented, “I think it’s shameful and very un-American that people find it funny to come bash a person’s new workplace just because she didn’t vote for the same person you did... these people were told to come here as an attack plan.”
Despite their original anger toward Chavira and Exeter, the Trump supporters soon stopped leaving the reviews and the controversy on the Facebook page quickly died down. Modern Language Instructor and Director of Summer School Elena Gosalvez-Blanco said that she does not expect any grave ramifications due to the ratings. “I do not think that could possibly impact the admissions process or anything else,” she said. According to Gosalvez-Blanco, Exeter Summer School is filling as rapidly as usual.
The online feud received a little bit of media attention as well when The Knox Student, a student-run newspaper of Knox College, where Chavira is currently a student, published a question-and-answer-esque article online. In the article, Chavira said that Exeter reached out to her to reassure her that the reviews would not change anything about her future employment.
“At first, I was going to contact them to explain myself and explain the situation. But I was actually contacted by the school first,” Chavira wrote. “They said, ‘Hey Diana, just thought you should know that we’re filtering through all the messages, we’re filtering through all the phone calls. Don’t worry about anything.’ They were extremely supportive.”
Chavira’s involvement in the Chicago rally was the second time a member of the Exeter community has gotten involved in protests at Trump rallies. In February, senior Lucy Weiler made headlines by shouting at the Republican nominee regarding illegal immigration.