Arts & Sciences juniors Laura Thomas and Jen Bischoff woke up at 4:30 a.m. the day of the inauguration and bundled in five layers of clothes, complete with hand and back warmers, to brave 15 degree temperatures in Washington.
The two waited outside for 12 hours with more than 1.3 million people to celebrate the swearing in of the 44th president, while millions more watched from their homes.
“We were frozen, but it was a once in a lifetime kind of thing. It was definitely worth the cold and the wait just to be there with everyone experiencing such a historical moment,” Thomas said.
“I didn’t vote for Obama, but it was great to be surrounded by people excited to be there for the first African-American president,” Bischoff said.
Other Creighton students will remember the day Barack Obama was inaugurated, even if they weren’t there in person.
Students and faculty alike paused their day at 11 a.m. Tuesday and gathered around any TV they could find. About 350 people watched the speech in the Harper Center Auditorium, which was sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Center for Service and Justice.
Andres DuranBallen, Arts & Sciences exchange student from Ecuador, watched from the Harper Auditorium. “The speech was very good, convincing. I think there will be a lot of good changes, more opportunity for foreign people and finish the war,” DuranBallen said. He said he would celebrate with a party at his host parents’ home.
Up on the fourth floor of Creighton Hall, the Political Science department had more than 30 crowd around their TV and bring dishes for a potluck. Political Science and International Relations professor Jason Steck cancelled his classes that coincided with Obama’s inauguration. “I thought it was important that students have the opportunity to watch this historic event. The U.S. president is more than the leader of the United States or even the ‘leader of the free world.’ He is in many ways the leader of the international system,” Steck said.
All TV screens in the Skutt Student Center were programmed to the inauguration as well. The College Democrats held a live broadcast in Skutt 104 and 105, and the standing room only crowd found spots by the fireplace and in Jack and Ed’s. But with the ceremony falling in the middle of the day, not all students could stop and watch. “I didn’t watch the inauguration because I had class, but I had my roommate record it so I can watch it later,” said Robbie Adams, Business senior.
For some, the inauguration was their first priority and class a far second on this momentous day. Proudly wearing her Obama T-shirt, Shauntel Vaughn, Arts & Sciences senior said: “I missed class, I had the best reason to. I’m really excited about everything, it’s the best day, especially for a lot of minorities.”
While the Obamas danced their way through 10 inaugural balls, Omaha clubs and bars hosted parties celebrating Obama’s transition into office. A themed dance party, InauGOOration, was the Slowdown’s nod to the new president, and The Attic Bar & Grill along with 106.9 had a DJ, raffle and special menu with “Obama burgers.”
For Thomas and Bischoff, the night ended by thawing out and warming up. “We went to bed at 10 p.m. It had been such a long day,” Bischoff said.