Well, I think we can all agree that that was a rollercoaster of an election cycle. Hopefully we can also agree that it will have very interesting implications for national and international politics. On this campus at least, all eyes were and are on the election. I cannot name a single person I know here who has told me that they chose not to vote.

Long before the election, booths to notify people about voter registration were replaced by carpools to make sure everyone could make it to the office. Soon after that, we started screening the debates at a number of locations on campus. Dozens of students showed up (though maybe some of them just wanted the free pizza) and uncounted others were watching from dorm rooms, study areas, and even club meetings. This election had its share of circuses, but we made sure there was bread as well.

On Election Day yesterday, the whole campus was abuzz. The students at the front desk in Wheelock Student Center were constantly checking the election results. I could hear cries and cheers rising from the Rotunda as the votes rolled in. When I peeked through open dorm room doors, I saw groups of students huddled around screens waiting for their fate. A man I knew clutched an American flag tight around his shoulders like a cape as he flitted about the dining hall. The grand screen showing CNN’s forecasts shone its light upon a tangle of people – some studying, some eating, some just waiting.

Now, this purgatorial state has been broken. For better or for worse, the United States of America has a new president. The campus is deathly quiet this morning, but I wouldn’t read too much into that. I wrote this at 8 AM and the campus is always quiet then. As always, life goes on.