Politics has been considered the official sport of New Hampshire. Regardless if you enjoy politics or not, Monday, January 21, 2013 was an exciting day for all Americans as it was the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Students, faculty, staff, and guests from the community filled Cushing Center to witness the history. Unfortunately, there were not a lot of students in attendance. Some have argued that it was because he was the incumbent. There was a significantly less about of Americans even personally witnessing the ceremonies in Washington, DC for the presidents second inauguration.
The Kevin Harrington Student Ambassadors and the Multicultural Center worked together to put the watch party on. We had the ceremonies playing on the television screens as well as a large projector. There were patriotic decorations and even cardboard cutouts of President Obama and Vice President Biden. The two students that were at the forefront on putting the event together were Ashley Scoville ’15 and Karen Ejiofor ’16 as the co-chairs of the Kevin Harrington Student Ambassador Civic Engagement Committee. Karen shared, “It was nice seeing the public along with students coming into Cushing to watch such a wonderful and historical part United States history. I am glad I was part of making this event a success”!
New Hampshire Public Radio and WMUR interviewed students for their thoughts on the inauguration. John Pearson ’14, one student who was interviewed by WMUR, shared with me, “It was great to witness students, faculty, and staff observing the inauguration of President Obama today. Regardless of your political affiliation, I sincerely hope all citizens will contribute to the political process the next four years. Many important issues need to be resolved that will require all citizens to be involved in the process to find solutions.” It is interesting to see how often the media takes an interest in the opinions of Saint Anselm College students. They are frequently being heard on television and the radio.
Neil Levesque, the Director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, shared, “These events are interesting from a historical perspective and I was pleased to see all of the students who took an interest. I was surprised at how short the president’s speech was and that Governor Romney was not invited–usually the defeated candidate would be present as a sign of unity”. It will be an interesting four years filled with many ups and downs, but Saint Anselm College is already gearing up for the 2016 election!