Students, faculty, and staff gathered together on Alumni Quad on April 8 to witness the first total solar eclipse since 2017. With protective glasses provided on the quad, onlookers were able to witness the 95% totality that was visible in New Hampshire and see the spectacle on campus that afternoon.
With clear skies, the Saint Anselm campus had prime conditions to view the phenomenon. Groups of students and faculty began gathering on the quad well-before the time of totality, getting ready to see the eclipse that “won’t pass through the contiguous United States again until 2024,” said the Washington Post.
Christine Landry ’25, from Hanover, Massachusetts witnessed the eclipse with her French class, as her professor provided the students in the class with the proper protective eyewear to safely view it. Leaving class early and being outside with so many people made it “feel like real humanity,” Landry said. “There were no phones in sight, just people living in the moment,” Landry said, to share an experience with one another.
Other students who were not in class during the time of the eclipse took it upon themselves to get a viewing spot on the quad. Brandon LeBlanc ’26, a Communications major from Wrentham, Massachusetts said that he “went with a big group of friends,” to watch the eclipse. “My class ended at 2:20 so I walked to the quad and got the glasses,” LeBlanc said.
The glasses provided allowed everyone to safely view the eclipse, and “my old RA told me where they were when I got there, so thankfully my eyes didn’t get burned,” LeBlanc said. Being able to see the spectacle “was really cool and pretty fun,” because “I used to be really into space when I was a little kid, so it really was a unique experience,” LeBlanc said.
Unlike LeBlanc, some students were not able to join the crowd on the quad to watch the eclipse. Elizabeth Moran ’25, a Marketing major from Braintree, Massachusetts was “taking an exam in Alumni during the eclipse,” Moran said.
“I wish I could have joined, I was so disappointed when I saw the crowd on my way to class,” Moran said. Though she could not physically be there, she could “really feel the energy and excitement in the atmosphere, and I wish I could have watched,” Moran said.
Although Moran was inside during the eclipse, “my professor left out a pair of glasses that we could use if we wanted to look out the window during the exam, because our classroom faced the sun,” Moran said. Her slight disappointment in being absent from Alumni Quad didn’t last too long, because “it was better to see it like that than not see it at all,” Moran said.
“I thought it was so cool and exciting,” Moran said, “but some people thought it was anticlimactic which I disagree with.” Though New Hampshire did not get to see 100% totality, the phenomenon was still noticeable with the dimness and darkness that occurred and the drop in temperature that resulted.
Abigail Edwards ’25, a Nursing major from Duxbury, Massachusetts is another student who was lucky enough to see the eclipse. “I looked out of my apartment window, with my eclipse glasses of course,” Edwards said. Busy with homework, Edwards did not join the crowd at Alumni, but “I could see it really well from where I was so I poked my head out,” Edwards said. “I saw the eclipse in 2017 in Duxbury so it was a similar experience, but it was still really cool,” Edwards said.
For the future eclipses that ensue, protective eyewear remains a priority. Companies like Eclipse Glasses USA collect eclipse glasses for people to recycle and send in, which allows others to use them in the future instead “of ending up in the landfills after being used one time,” said TikTok creator Sabrina Sustainable Life. A unique experience that Saint Anselm students enjoyed can be enjoyed by others with access to used glasses, while also practicing sustainability.
Though the next total solar eclipse will not be visible in the United States again until 2044, Saint Anselm students, faculty, and staff got to enjoy this one together for a rare and unique experience.
