The Rosenthal Pavilion in the Kimmel Center for University Life was filled with sounds of old school hip-hop, food and spirited members of the NYU community who came together to watch the election outcome last night.
Tom McIntyre, assistant director for the Brademas Center for the Study of Congress, organized the university’s second Election Party.
“It’s a way to bring the student body together to celebrate democracy,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre said this year’s aim was to include students from NYU global sites and used a hashtag, #NYUelection2012, to help those abroad connect with the students at the Washington Square Park campus. Live twitter feeds were broadcasted on a screen.
Steinhardt freshman Max Wagner said he chose to attend the event because he knew it was a popular viewing destination.
“I wanted to see everyone’s reaction when the result came out,” Wagner said. “It’s a bit like New Year’s Eve.”
LSP sophomore Allie Connolly said the environment was relaxed and fun.
“There’s good music and there’s food from the different swing states,” Connolly said.
As CNN displayed the popular vote with 51 percent to Gov. Mitt Romney, the crowd booed. But with each projected win for President Obama, the room cheered loudly. When the first wave of electoral votes showed a Republican lead, the florescent purple lights surrounding the room turned red and the crowd fell almost silent.
As the electoral votes trickled in, the lights switched to red or blue, depending on which party was in the lead.
At 9 p.m., the event management turned to the NYU journalism broadcast. Right when the channel was switched back to CNN, the screen projected wins for Obama in Wisconsin and Michigan.
However, the relaxed atmosphere began to fade and tension crept in around 10:30 p.m. as more votes were counted. At 11:18 p.m., CNN projected a win for Obama, and when the disc jockey blasted her music, the crowd went wild. Students stood on chairs dancing and high-fiving one another.
Alexis Toney, a Steinhardt se- nior and president of NYU’s Black Students’ Union, stood on a table with a bottle of apple cider. Toney said she had been nervous all day because she was unsure who would win.
“But then when I saw every- one celebrating,” Toney said. “I felt elated.”
A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, Nov. 7 print edition. Pia Brar is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
