In the aftermath of the election several weeks ago, President Barack Obama may face a possible stalemate in his final two years in office after the Republican takeover of the Senate. With the Republicans’ victory, the fragile balance of power between the White House and Capitol Hill has been upended.

For years, the two political party have struggled to compromise, locking the country in a battle that never seems to tip one way or the other. With a Democratic president and a Republican senate, little seems to have changed. Both Republicans and Democrats have the common goal of reforming the immigration system. But that’s as far as they have gotten in coming to an agreement in increasing border security.

And, according to many students at Sage Hill, this may not be in any position to change any time soon.

“…they both have good intentions, but they get misconstrued by the fact that they’re supporting their party more than they’re supporting the good of the people,” Maya Woodworth says.  “So it doesn’t matter if they’re Democratic or Republican, I can’t see it going well in the future.”

Sophomore Casey Block agrees. “I personally don’t think they will get anything done. I feel like anything Obama wants won’t happen at all, even if it’s good for everyone.”

Regardless of the opinions and political party (or lack thereof), most agree that little will have the opportunity to improve. Not all feel this way, however. Some still have confidence in the political parties, and even believe that the benefits of two opposing opinions may outweigh the negative effects.

Margo Collazo, freshman, remains hopeful. “I think the decisions are going to balance out and make both sides happy. There’s going to be a bit of Republican and a bit of Democrat in every decision that they make.”

Even Obama recognizes that, while he remains willing to compromise, the situation ahead may be difficult. “Congress will pass some bills I cannot sign. I’m pretty sure I’ll take some actions that some in Congress will not like. That’s natural. That’s how our democracy works,” he said in a news conference after the election. “The one thing that I’m confident about is that I’m going to be pretty busy over the next few years.”