Boston University students attended on-campus watch parties at both Warren Towers and the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground on Tuesday as election results trickled in from across the nation.
The HTC watch party was a collaboration between Student Government, BU Votes, BU College Democrats, the Community Service Center and the Dean of Students. The Warren Towers watch party was hosted by Warren’s Faculty in Residences. They began at 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., respectively, before major news networks began declaring results at 8 p.m.
At the HTC, StuGov President Akwasi Antwi thanked students for voting and showing up to support their civil obligations in his address. He also emphasized unity among students.
“No matter who you vote for, who you’re here for, we’re supporting initiatives and issues that matter to us,” Antwi said during the event. “You can disagree with people, but at the end of the day, we’re united by the fact that we are all Terriers here.”
The party aimed to encourage common ground amidst election polarization, said Orpheo Speer, director of the Community Service Center. Speer said the HTC was an “ideal venue” for bringing people together.
“We have been thinking a lot about how divisive this particular election can be, and thinking about [how] at the core of Howard Thurman values is finding ways that we can come together,” Speer said.
Speer said another goal was alleviating students’ election anxieties by creating a positive and fun environment amongst other people.
The event offered food, drinks, music and election bingo. Students could also fill out a post-election check-in form to be entered into a raffle that included Apple Airpods and TVs as prizes.
The Warren Towers watch party, held in the multipurpose room, is a tradition for the dorm, said Bryan Stone, a faculty-in-residence. He said he hopes the event helps educate students about U.S. politics.
“It’ll help them understand how the states work and how important the Electoral College is,” Stone said.
Tuesday’s watch party received one of the largest turnouts they’ve ever had, according to Stone.
Roy Grundmann, also a Warren Towers faculty-in-residence, said the event’s attendees were mostly students living in Warren, but the event attracts students from other dorms as well.
“It’s also great to see them experience community, not simply around entertainment and consumer culture, but politics,” Grundmann said. “Because politics matters, and a lot of young people don’t know that yet, and they have to learn that.”
The event included free pizza and cardboard cutouts of both presidential candidates.
Freshman Zain Taheri said he was feeling a little nervous beforehand but felt better upon arriving at the HTC watch party.
“Since people are around me, and they’re all having fun, that makes me want to have fun as well,” Taheri said.
Amie Thomas, a graduate student, said that she was “on the edge of her seat” about the election, but seeing young voters at the watch parties was inspiring.
“I’m happy to see that young people are doing their jobs as citizens,” Thomas said. “These are the things that we’re supposed to do in a democracy, so it’s really inspiring.”
Freshman Tanisha Krishnaraj, an international student, said that although she cannot vote, the watch party promotes political education.
“It feels important to at least be aware of the political process of the country that we live in,” Krishnaraj said.
Emily Ren, a freshman from New Jersey, said she felt a “sense of community and pride” at the watch party.
“I love sitting in this room and watching history go down in our nation,” Ren said. “The reaction from everyone is so fun, and the bonding experience that we have is amazing.”
The HTC and Warren Towers watch parties concluded at 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., respectively — hours before the Associated Press called the race.
“[The election is] very controversial, emotions run high, but this indicates a real eagerness to understand and get involved with politics,” Stone said.
