Stephanie MacPhail of Thetford, Vt. said she traveled to Dartmouth's Spaulding auditorium on Tuesday morning to watch the presidential inauguration so that her five-year-old daughter, Pemma, could better understand the event's historical significance. The watch party in Spaulding was one of several hosted by Dartmouth organizations for students and community members.
The Spaulding event, with more than 500 people, was the largest on campus, according to Marga Rahmann, general manager of the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The audience was composed primarily of Dartmouth staff and Upper Valley residents, Rahmann said.
"For the political process to be successful, citizens have to work together to solve problems and improve outcomes for society as a whole," said Andrew Samwick, director of the Rockefeller Center, which organized the event with the Hop. "Hosting watch parties like we did for the debate, or for the inauguration, so that people can be together for the historic events, helps to reinforce the need to continue to work together."
The Hop had never before broadcast a live feed of a presidential inauguration, although it has broadcast presidential debates and other ceremonies, as the facility only gained the technology to telecast live events in recent years.
"It is amazing to be living in an era now where we can all be a part of the inauguration," Margaret Lawrence, the Hop's director of programming, said. "I was watching the inauguration live from Washington, D.C., while I was e-mailing my friend in France and listening to the women next to me sobbing."
The audience in Spaulding, mirroring the reactions of the crowd on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., gave a standing ovation when Obama walked out onto the steps of the Capitol building, and another at the end of his speech. The crowd jeered when former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney made appearances.
Hanover residents Patricia Eckels and Barbara Clapp, who waved goodbye to the former president, saying "Bye, George," explained that they thought the audience's reaction reflected the American people's desire for change. Both described the inauguration as one of the best days of their lives. They praised the College for holding the event, noting that they both live alone and wanted to be with other people on the historic occasion.
"This is our own version of the Mall," Peter Glenshaw, director of community relations at the College, said. "People were very enthusiastic about today. Whether they voted for Obama or not, they realize this is a historic moment and very important to our country."
At the other major viewing party, held in a packed Collis Common Ground, students, who comprised the majority of attendees, did not collectively boo members of the former administration. Many students, however, did agree with Eckels and Clapp about the desire for change on campus and around the country.
"I'm feeling guardedly hopeful [about Obama's presidency] because for almost half of my life, Bush has been president, and I don't really know our government or our country not under him," Anna Wearn '12 said.
Several students said attending the watch parties allowed them to have an experience as significant as attending the inauguration in person. Although they said they wished they could have traveled to Washington, these students argued that watching the event on television likely gave them a better view of the event.
Laura MacGregor '09, one of several volunteer coordinators who organized another viewing party at the Tucker Foundation, highlighted Obama's call for volunteerism, noting that the numerous service events taking place on campus this week serve as examples of the College's activism.
"We're really having this event to help students make the connection between service and civic activity with voting," she said.
Other viewing venues included the Hyphen in the Russell Sage residential cluster and Occom Commons in the McLaughlin residential cluster. Both of the viewing parties were arranged by the 2012 Class Council.
"The inauguration means a lot to the [members of the Class of 2012] because it is just amazing to have voted for your first time in a momentously historic election," Alfonso Villegas '12, the 2012 Class Council activities chair, said.
Impromptu watch parties also formed around the television screens in Baker-Berry library and the Alumni Gymnasium. People riding the noon bus to the Dartmouth Skiway listened to the inauguration over the radio after the bus driver tuned into the speech, according to passenger Jill Cohen '12.
"Transitions from one president to another are highly symbolic in American politics, but this one is more salient than most because of the identity of the new occupant of the White House," government professor Linda Fowler said. "Equally important, I think, is that the country is in deep trouble and young people, in particular, are anxious about what kind of future they will have."
Neither the College Democrats nor the College Republicans sponsored a watch party. Jennifer Bandy '09, president of the College Republicans, said she felt there were enough opportunities for students to watch the inauguration if they wanted.
A spokesman from the College Democrats could not be reached by press time.
Staff writers Jen Buchholz and Rachel Sarnoff contributed to the reporting of this article.
