Students gather to watch inauguration

Students gathered around Michigan State University’s campus this morning to observe the inauguration of the 44th U.S. president, Barack Obama. Some watched on TV in their dorms or apartments, some watched via the Internet, and others met in hall lounges or the MSU Union to share the experience with their peers. An available classroom in Erickson Hall was packed with enthusiastic people as the ceremony was projected onto a screen. A sense of excitement filled the room as those present clapped, cheered, and shouted along with the crowd at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Particularly popular meeting places were the Sparty’s cafés that were showing the ceremony. Asia Watkins, an MSU sophomore studying interdisciplinary studies in health, works at the Sparty’s located in the Engineering Building and was present during the inauguration. The café was so packed that the only part of the proceedings she was able to observe was the swearing-in of the new president. Still, she was excited to observe an event that she said felt almost “surreal” to her.

“I remember my grandmother called me crying on the day Obama was elected,” she said. “I’m glad that it finally happened.”