Students crossed party lines Tuesday night while they monitoredthe presidential, local and statewide elections on two largescreens in the Union center lobby, with members of the UnionProgramming Committee providing updated statistics and freepizza.
The UPC Ideas and Issues Committee hosted the event for studentsof all affiliations to cheer, shout or scream at the electionresults.
Election Night Live was a culmination of the efforts of ProjectGeaux and Student Government’s coverage of the election and issues,said Brandon Smith, political science senior and UPC Ideas andIssues Committee chair.
Jason Meier, assistant director for Union Programming, said hethinks it is great to see so many different political views andopinions come together and be supportive of one another’sviews.
Meier said UPC remains completely neutral when hosting anyevent, especially one that is politically affiliated.
As one screen played news coverage from NBC and the other anup-to-the-minute electoral map, students were provided some comicrelief during commercial breaks with comedic presidential clipsfrom Saturday Night Live.
Smith said UPC chose NBC because NBC anchor Tom Brokaw soon willretire from the network.
Although the audience was a steady flow of interested studentstaking a break from studying or from the symphony in the UnionTheatre, a solid group of avid political supporters staked theirclaims around the screens.
As Smith and other UPC members read local election results,cheers and groans from opposing political parties were shouted fromacross the room.
Although the food was eaten early in the evening, studentsstayed and continued to pace and monitor as the presidentialresults poured in.
“I am really excited about this election because I was able tofollow it so closely,” said Nathan Boudreaux, an economics senior.”A lot of teachers incorporated some of the issues into theirclasses or held forums and that was really cool. I liked howteachers got involved.”
A balanced number of supporters advertised their candidate withT-shirts or stickers, but many wore the red “Nov. 2nd” T-shirtcampaigning the Project Geaux effort.
“It is really exciting that so many people are trying to get thevote out,” said David Moore, a mass communication freshman. “Thelove for the country has come out through this election and that isgreat.”
Although the party ended before a presidential candidate wasannounced, students left the Union with a newly-elected senator andmayor-president.
Jessica Stewart, a political science senior and coordinator forProject Geaux, was pleased with the event’s outcome and level ofstudent interest.
“Tonight is the indication that young people do care about theoutcome of the election,” Stewart said. “Project Geaux helpedfacilitate discussions and education on issues and it hasdefinitely mobilized young people.”