Students gather to absorb election results

By J. DePaolis

President-elect Barack Obama has been known to inspire large groups of young voters into organizing and coming together. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that on election night, a mere two blocks from the then-senator’s Grant Park rally, Columbia students were getting together to watch the election results come in.

The Columbia College Chicago Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (CCCC-ACLU) hosted an election night party on the first floor of the Residence Center, 731 S. Plymouth Court. The group provided drinks, snacks and ample seating. The event had approximately 25 guests, and they were able to watch two TV sets tuned to CNN as election results poured in.

Tessana Nemenski, a junior film and video major, noted the enthusiasm that was felt around campus earlier in the day.

“I was kind of wandering around, and you can see that excitement that something major is going to happen,” Nemenski said, “And it’s positive.”

Nemenski explained that issues of race were very important to her and her family. Nemenski’s mother never thought she would live to see a black president.

“I like the fact that in 10 to 15 years from now, I can go, ‘This is where I was at this moment,'” Neminski said.

Tuesday’s election was an emotional one for the president of the CCCC-ACLU, Miles Vance.

“I said I would cry either way,” Vance said, before the election results were announced. “If John McCain wins, I’m crying. If Barack Obama wins, I’m crying. But for two different reasons.”

Dave Augustine, a senior film and video major, felt an air of anxiousness around Columbia on Nov. 4, he said.

“[I’m] anxious to get [the election] over

with,” Augustine said. “[And I’m] anxious to see if all this change we’ve been hearing about [over] the last few months [will happen]. It’s all come to a boiling point.”

Aside from the free food and two television screens, attendees said there were other draws to going to the election party.

“I don’t have cable, so this was a chance to watch the election and stay current with what was going on,” said Casey Hart, the committee director for the Student Organization Council.

Hart, an Iowa resident, caucused for Obama in January and was prepared for the worst going into election night, but hoped he could be a part of a victory celebration for the Illinois senator.

In the back of the commons area, pizza, soda and snacks were provided. Some gathered in chairs facing the televisions, while others flocked to the pool and foosball tables for a game.

While the CCCC-ACLU members remained bipartisan, the crowd didn’t always. After 7 p.m., when CNN projected Obama to win a handful of states, causing his electoral votes to skyrocket from three to 82, the crowd’s excitement was easy to see.

Nemenski hoped the election atmosphere would bring about conversation, one of the reasons they decided to organize the party.

Intermixed with the food and discussions, the CCCC-ACLU had a more important item to pass out-their message.

On a flier given to every guest at the party, the group listed its missions for next semester-trying to end racial profiling and biased consent searches, as well as civil union support, among other things.

Augustine said he would remember the night for years to come.

“People are going to be talking about this [for] the next 100, 150 years,” he said. “I felt honored just to be there and to be able to experience it all first hand.”