Regardless of partisan affiliation, College students were pulled into national political conversation on Tuesday night as they watched the Republican primary debate from Spaulding Auditorium, at the College-sponsored watch party in Leede Arena or from their rooms with laptops streaming DarTV. The day after the debate, following the mass exodus of candidates, journalists and political pundits, many students interviewed by The Dartmouth said they felt proud of their school and were happy to have been given the opportunity to engage in the democratic process.
"It felt like the Dartmouth bubble popped for the night," Juan Sanchez '13 said.
Phil Royer '13 said the debate brought "a sense of political involvement" to campus that is not typically present. The debate electrified seemingly apathetic students and highlighted the relatively "divided" spectrum of political preferences present across campus, Royer said.
Many students noted a change in campus atmosphere Tuesday afternoon because of the large Bloomberg stage set up in the middle of the Green and the presence of various politicians and members of the media. Students walking around campus walked more deliberately and with their heads on a swivel, attempting to follow the large television cameras and catch glimpses of any Republican presidential hopefuls.
Although College officials pushed students to get excited about the GOP debate regardless of political affiliation, the dominantly Republican presence on campus Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, R-Fla., was the only major Democratic operative who hosted and came to events led to a lacking enthusiasm from some students.
"I didn't feel very strongly about going," Liz Calby '14 said. "I'm not interested in Republicans so it wasn't very high on my priority list. It was cool to have here, but I didn't want to spend time watching it."
The debate required the help of several hundred volunteers throughout the course of the day, especially in debate prep work and during the program. Some students, who were asked by Bloomberg News to sit in the chairs of Spaulding before the debate for an extended period of time, were offered gift cards for helping the technical teams determine lighting, sound and other aspects of the televised program.
Robert Smith '14 worked at the Rockefeller Center's "Meet the Campaign" event, where he spent his time "helping Romney staffers find things," he said. He later volunteered in the Spin Room where campaign representatives spoke with journalists about the performances of their respective candidates.
"We didn't actually do too much, but it was great to have the access to the candidates," he said. "I actually had a substantive conversation with [former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn.,] for like two minutes. I thought it was pretty cool to see lots of famous press that I've seen on TV before."
Matthew Ritter '15, who received a ticket to attend the debate from inside Spaulding Auditorium from a friend, said watching the debate live made him feel more involved with the political process.
"It was pretty exciting," he said. "I was sitting eight feet from Chris Christie. Seeing these people that I watch on TV right in front of me made them seem more real."
Although most commotion in the political world quieted as invested parties watched the debate intently, campus life continued amidst the two-hour debate for many students. Many students interviewed by The Dartmouth cited school work as a major impetus for neither attending the watch party or watching the debate.
"I was in awe of what was going on I really wanted to go," Frieder said. "I just didn't have enough time between homework and sleep."
Blaine Ponto '14 said she was surprised at how little the debate interfered with "daily life" and thought it might have been more significant to students if they had not been wrapped up in work.
"People went about their daily business as usual," she said. "I feel like it would've been way different if we didn't have classes and didn't have to study. They would have had more time to go to the protests and participate in the events."
Students who did not win tickets to watch the debate in Spaulding were able to attend the Watch Party in Leede Arena, although several said they were disappointed they had to watch the program on a screen like the rest of the nation despite their close proximity to the actual debate.
Matthew Quartner '15 said he enjoyed watching the debate with fellow students in Leede, where College President Jim Yong Kim and representatives from various campus political organizations spoke.
"It was cool to watch with people that were engaged," he said. "Sometimes people that either were strongly supportive of or opposed to certain candidates would get loud."
Amanda Geduld '15 said that she was disappointed in the low watch party turnout, calling it a "once in a lifetime opportunity."
"I thought it was ironic," Jared Klee '13 said. "Students talked about how interested they were in the debate, but then didn't go to the watch party."
Many students said they were surprised that only three candidates came to speak at Leede Arena following the debate.
"It's cool that former [House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and Gov. Jon Huntsman, R-Utah,] showed up, but the emails said all the candidates would," Ben Schwartz '15 said. "I was a little disappointed."
Rather than making an appearance at Leede Arena, Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, spoke at Beta Alpha Omega fraternity. Klee, who was at Beta when Perry arrived, said the candidate was a "much better speaker in person" and "much more relatable."
Throughout the day, students had spontaneous opportunities to get involved with the on-campus political activity.
"It was really cool I was sitting on the Green watching Bloomberg and someone asked me if I wanted to see [Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J.,] endorse [Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass.,]" Jessica Frieder '15 said. "I was bussed over to the Marriott to watch. I was really, really impressed."
Many students said they felt a sense of pride in Dartmouth for hosting the GOP debate.
"It's great that we get to go to an institution that attracts that kind of activity," Tim Vanderet '11 said. "I was really proud of the school. A lot of students got involved it would have been sad if that didn't happen."
Staff writer Sam Rauschenfels contributed reporting to this article.
