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Article published Nov 4, 2008 Civility, individuality mark election 2008 at Maryville College
By Steve Wildsmith of The Daily Times Staff
As the first returns trickled in on three screens — set up in the Alumni Gym on the Maryville College campus and tuned to MSNBC, CNN and Fox News — Democrats and Republicans alike sat side-by-side, watching in nervous anticipation.
There was no partisan rancor, no caustic name-calling, no jeers toward the opposition — just an odd mixture of tension and civility that's marked the election of 2008 on campus, according to those in attendance on Tuesday night at a rally for students, faculty and the community to watch returns for the presidential election.
"It's been a really interesting dynamic," said Dr. Frances Henderson, a professor of political science who sat watching Fox News with one of her students, Sam Jackson of Greenback. The professor sported a Barack Obama pin emblazoned with the word "hope," while her protege, originally from Greenback, wore a Republican Party T-shirt.
"It's spurred a lot of discussion, but the students have respected each others' views," she said. "They disagree nonetheless, but it's been a very civil, although passionate, atmosphere throughout this election."
As students and faculty members tricked into the gym, munching snacks and drinking soda, they studied, conversed and kept one eye on the three news networks. As various states were called for Obama or Republican candidate John McCain, cheers erupted; those for Obama were louder, but most noticeable was the absence of boos.
According to Knoxville native and MC freshman Jordan Houser, this election season has been marked by such civility.
"Most college students are like the stereotype — they're young, they're liberal and they support Obama," Houser said. "I'm a Southern Baptist and a conservative, and I've definitely felt like I'm in the minority on campus — but I've never been treated badly, just as I've never treated anyone badly.
"If you want to survive socially, you have to be civil about it. No one likes to be attacked, and no one likes to have someone else's views forced on them."
Houser browsed various political Web sites on his laptop for up-to-the-nanosecond returns as he lounged in the Fox News viewing section. He took in as much news as he could for this election, he said, from Web sites, newspapers and television before deciding for himself which candidate for whom he would vote.
"McCain's not my favorite, but I think he's the best guy for the job," Houser said. "I've been trying to take everything in. I listen to NPR and read the newspapers to keep up with the numbers. I think you've got good sources out there like CNN, but I think a lot of students look to the popular media like Myspace and base their votes on how many friends a candidate has on their page."
Another GOP supporter, Crossville native and MC senior Jessica Burse, said supporting Obama has seemed like the trendy thing to do among some of her peers. Personally, she said, she based her decision to support the McCain/Palin ticket on her moral convictions, specifically those concerning abortion.
As she watched more states swing for Obama, she admitted to feeling nervous, despite being upbeat enough to wear her McCain/Palin T-shirt to Tuesday night's rally.
"The problem is that a lot of people seem to be following a trend without knowing the facts or getting the information on their own," she said. "That's very typical, but it's also very scary. My own views are influenced some by my family, but I was always taught to be a free thinker.
"That's what I love about Maryville College — I get to practice that here every day."Rally dwindles as Democrats gain
As additional states fell to the Democrats, the rally began to dwindle. Some students, like Burse, left because of early Wednesday classes. Others walked toward the door with heads bowed, obviously disappointed in Obama's early lead. Others, jubilant, chose to start celebrating early.
Some, however, refused to acknowledge a victor until the last electoral vote was counted.
"So far, I think Obama has gotten in a lot of key votes, but I think it's going to be a long night," Chattanooga native and sophomore Chris Penn — wearing an Obama T-shirt — said. "I'm worried he didn't campaign enough in the battleground states."
Regardless of the outcome, those in attendance agreed — this election has mobilized young voters like never before. It's dominated their thoughts, especially given the recent economic turbulence, and it's got them thinking about the future — their own and that of the political process itself.
"I think the school's been really politically engaged," Penn said. "I'm on the soccer team, and we talk about it all the time — at practice, before games, after games. Younger voters are really engaged this year."
"With the economy, the students are coming to the realization that this is about their future — are they going to be able to get jobs?" Henderson added. "They seem to understand and have an idea about the choices they want to make as individuals."