91制片厂

At 8 a.m. Monday, when most of us hadn鈥檛 woken up for class yet, thousands of 91制片厂 students, faculty, staff and other community members were already bundled, caffeinated and waiting outside the Whittemore Center in hopes of hearing President Barack Obama at a rally for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Throughout the past year, 91制片厂 has hosted nearly every political candidate for the presidency, making our campus a bustling one. Students and faculty have been given intimate access to future and current presidents throughout this time, a privilege not many experience.

鈥淭he past few weeks have been crazy,鈥� said Allie Williams 鈥�19, a major. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cool to see the vibe on campus when so many non-students are here. We get to see firsthand what it鈥檚 like to have a huge rally.鈥�

Indeed, 鈥渉uge rally鈥� is no exaggeration. Candidates have brought thousands of people to Durham. Obama鈥檚 visit alone brought more than 8,000 people, according to a Clinton campaign volunteer. Students don鈥檛 seem to mind the busyness that has encompassed campus, however.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal, the president coming and all,鈥� said Ben Nawn 鈥�17, a major. 鈥淚 think everyone鈥檚 been thrilled with the other rallies, and this topped it off.鈥�

Nawn鈥檚 friend Matt Vlahos 鈥�17, a major, agreed. 鈥淭he campus is very excited,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen much negativity at all. Everyone鈥檚 been respectful to each other through all of it.鈥�

With the presidential election taking place the following day, the timing of the Obama visit was particularly profound. Many classes were cancelled because of the event, and several students used the time to wait in line for hours on end to hear him speak.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been in line for almost three hours,鈥� said Isaac Tousley 鈥�18, a. 鈥淭he Bernie Sanders rally was really fun with the live music, and we wanted to see what this one had to offer.鈥�

Sanders visited campus twice during campaign season, once during the lead-up to the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary and again with nominee Clinton this past September.

Additionally, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Lindsey Graham, Gary Johnson, John Kasich, Martin O鈥橫alley, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Jill Stein all have come to 91制片厂's campuses during this election season.

Regardless of whom they would vote for, students at the Obama event agreed on one thing: Voting is absolutely crucial.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned how important it is to express our right to vote, especially in such a close election,鈥� Tousley said.

鈥淚 think 91制片厂 students have truly shown how much they care about this election,鈥� said Corey Scarano 鈥�17, a journalism major.

Scarano is currently interning for NH1 News Network and was at the Whitt bright and early to help the news station set up.

鈥淚 know I鈥檒l be voting, and the huge line outside the Whitt early this morning showed me that people are getting out there, educating themselves, too,鈥� Scarano said.

The excitement continued inside the arena.

A member of the 91制片厂 men鈥檚 hockey team, sitting in the front row directly behind the stage, also stressed the importance of voting. 鈥淥ur team feels honored to have had so many candidates speak where we spend most of our time,鈥� Danny Tirone 鈥�18, a finance major and goalie said of the Whitt. 鈥淚鈥檓 definitely voting. It鈥檚 so imperative to make your voice heard.鈥� 听

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