By Dominic Randazzo ’05
On Tuesday, November 2, over 1,000 students and members of the local community gathered to close the most heated election season in recent history with a celebration of politics.
The Election Night Extravaganza, an event coordinated by the Center for Political Participation and sponsored by Allegheny Student Government, the Dean of Students Office, and the Student Activities Office, was organized to bring together a politically divided campus for a night of community discussion and fun. After ten hours of television coverage, the consumption of 9,000 wings, and countless expressions of political activism, it was described by junior Paul Gorse as “the most entertaining and exciting political event I have ever experienced.”
Within the newly renovated Henderson Campus Center, three large screen TV’s and a disc jockey provided entertainment while Student Fellows of the CPP led speakers from campus political parties in lively speeches; conducted interactive polls; and directed games like “Color the Electoral Map” and “Guess the Swing State.” Nearly $500 in political movies, music and other items were awarded to game and door prize winners.
“It was wonderful that so many Alleghenians came to not only watch the news coverage, but also to vocally support their candidates. Without a doubt, this event was a demonstration of just how socially concerned and politically active our generation really is,” remarked Dominic Randazzo, a Student Fellow at the CPP.
As the third major gathering of college political parties on campus this year (Allegheny hosted a town-hall meeting with Vice-President Dick Cheney three weeks earlier; and the CPP hosted a congressional debate the week before), the Election Night Extravaganza started at 5 p.m. and came to a close around 3:30 a.m. with members of both campus political parties (Young Dems and College Republicans) shaking hands and departing as friends. Several students stayed glued to the television screens for some time afterward in anticipation of who would be president.
“It was a great way to depressurize,” said Jackie Morgenstern, a junior. “Coming together as a community and putting aside the political differences that had polarized us for so long was definitely needed.”
Allegheny Student Government covered the cost of the event. “We rationalized that student funding for the Election Night Extravaganza was an investment in the political awareness and commitment of students,” stated Adam Fogel, financial Controller of Allegheny Student Government. “The importance of voting cannot be overstated, especially when twenty years from now we will be the ones responsible for running government.”
For more information about Allegheny College’s Center for Political Participation, please call (814) 332-6201.