Students Cope With the Crush

ABC On Campus reporter Alexa Davis blogs: For Katie Cybul, a freshman at George Washington University, the days leading up to the presidential inauguration have been a mixed bag: Though she has been able to witness history in the making and has enjoyed the inaugural-themed activities in the Washington, D.C., area, the inconveniences that come with the millions of people who have flooded the city for the event are hard to ignore. "Entire roads have been closed off and the streets are so crowded … we can’t even order food to our dorms anymore," she said. However, she, like other students who attend college in the area, have decided that the benefits of going to  school in the capital during the inauguration events far outweigh the inconveniences. "College students aren’t too annoyed," she says. "It’s fun and exciting, especially because there are so many more people around than usual."  Students have also incorporated the political atmosphere into their partying habits. Cybul said that many clubs and bars have had promotions for the inauguration and jokes that students have been using the event as an excuse to go out every night of the week.  In addition to the general excitement that students feel at being in Washington for the historic day, there have been various public events that students, like many other tourists and locals alike, have fought the crowds to attend.  Rachel Sullivan, another freshman at George Washington University, woke up at 5 a.m.  to get a good view of the preinaugural concert Sunday at the National Mall, which included acts such as Usher, Bruce Springsteen and Shakira.  She had made plans to camp out the entire night before the swearing-in ceremony to beat the millions of people who also plan to attend.  Sullivan has been in awe at the number and variety of people that she has seen in Washington in the past few days, especially since the university is located in a central part of the city.  "It’s so interesting watching all different kinds of people flooding onto campus," she says. "There’s a different kind of energy now that seems to be affecting everyone. A lot of people are getting pumped up. It’s amazing to be on a campus where everyone is so politically involved while the inauguration is going on."  The inaugural events also have personal meaning to Sullivan. "I feel very sentimental about the inauguration because I’m half African-American and it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come as a country. Basically, everyone who has African-American heritage has had an incident where they have been discriminated against. It’s amazing that now we can look past a president’s background and elect a black president for the first time. … It’s hard to describe. I’m proud to be able to tell my children that I was around when America elected its first black president."  Students coming in from other states have had to call in favors from any friend living in the vicinity to find a place to stay. Most hotels were booked weeks and even months ago.  Many  students living in D.C. are lodging friends and family members in their often tiny dorm rooms.  Blanca Guerrero, a freshman at Sarah LawrenceCollege in Bronxville, N.Y., is staying in a friend’s dorm room in Washington and, even though there isn’t much space, is just grateful to be there. "I’m just here to soak it all in," she says.  While college campuses across the city, like the rest of Washington, seem to be buzzing with excitement, some students are more reserved.    "I’m excited but I’m not getting as crazy as everyone else is," says Joni Tarchichi, a student at George Washington University’s Law School. "Everyone is really excited about it … but we have to be pragmatic too, because there’s only so much a president can do."    Even so, Tarchichi agrees that the excitement  is justified and shows how hopeful the country is for the incoming president.  "It’s exciting because everyone is so excited about it," she says. "The energy is contagious."