At Princeton, agony and suspense

Jocelyn Hain '01, nestled in an arm chair in front of a large television screen in the Frist Campus Center, had been watching the election coverage since dinner.

As students gathered and the votes began to roll in, Hain remained perched on her chair intently the watching the television reports — anxious and silent. A registered voter who has carefully thought about the election in recent days, Hain was different from most people in the crowd.

She did not want to vote.

"I wasn't able to come to a conclusion. I hadn't given enough time to learn about each of the candidates to make a decision. I really needed to look at each candidate issue by issue," said Hain, who typically votes with her Republican parents. "I've let myself down. You learn in American history that people died for the country and for democracy. And here I am not really voting."

"It became a personal issue," she continued, appearing sincerely distraught last night. "I wanted to know rock solid that I was sure about why I voted the way I did. I didn't just want to follow my instincts."

Hain, however, stayed at Frist well past 1 a.m. — where about 150 students had assembled — eagerly waiting for the results from Florida. "I'm completely hooked," she said.

Other members of the crowd — which comprised mostly students who supported the vice president — were not as non-partisan. Spencer Miller '02, wearing a Bush/Cheney shirt he bought from the governor's Website, loudly led cheers for the Republican party with Bush supporters clustered in a corner of Frist's television area.

"I'm in the minority here, but that's great. There are a lot of people here and a lot of liberals to argue with," said Miller, who worked for the Republican headquarters in Arizona during the summer. "I'm very anxious and extremely nervous. It's the first presidential election I've voted in and I feel a strong attachment to the Republican party."

John Vennema '04 — who lives in Houston, Texas — could only shake his head at Miller's cheerleading efforts and give his own yodels when votes came in for Vice President Al Gore. "I am heavily for Gore . . . and I am very anti-Bush. He just scares me because he doesn't know what he is talking about," Vennema said.

In the University Tower Club television room, a rowdier crowd gathered not only to watch the results but also to voice their opinions on their favorite candidates. With Republicans holding red drinks and standing at the back of the room and Democrats with blue drinks and seated around the sides, the club was a model of political contention.

"There have been really loud shouting matches," said Florida resident Seth Green '01, who voted for Ralph Nader '55. "We've been yelling 'Bush has a DUI' or 'Gore invented the Internet.' The Republicans may be up in the vote count, but the Democrats are winning the shouting match."

Tension mounted to the point that students began to verbally count down the minutes to when the polls would close in California. "This is such a great night. It's almost like we are watching a football game — except this is bigger than the Super Bowl," said Republican Geoff Gentile '01 before the final results were announced. "If Bush wins, I'm not going to cause a riot but will handle myself with poise and tactfully smile."

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The Wilson School held an election night study break in Robertson Hall — where graduate and undergraduate students watched the results roll in on a giant screen in Dodds Auditorium and on two other screens in the bowls.

"The majority of graduate students are Democratic and are planning to go into government work. They are interested in this race because it is more of a job issue for them," said David Holmes GS, who spent his evening in Dodds. "If Bush wins, you are going to see a lot of disappointed grad students walking around. It's more personal for them because it is affecting their future careers."

Whether in Richardson, Frist or an eating club, students were far from subdued last night. From dinnertime conversations to classroom discussions, the whole campus held its breath waiting to see who would be the nation's 43rd president.

"I am really happy that the apathy that accompanies political discussions on campus has subsided during the past few days. Now, if you run into a random person on the street, the first question you ask is, 'Who do you think will win?' " said Ryan Salvatore '02, who had posted a large "W" in his dorm-room window. "The race has really engaged the campus."