Students brave the elements to witness history

Two weeks ago 16 Doane students embarked on a trip for Washington, D.C. with their minds set to witness history.

Yet, after forecasts of freezing weather and possible snow flurries, some students began to wonder if they would make it through the inauguration.

Thirty-four sets of hand warmers.

Nine hours of standing.

Four miles of walking.

And one confident wave later, students took on a different mind set.

Yes we can.

Despite frigid temperatures and a crowd of more than two million people, senior Taylor Foy said the conditions were something he was prepared to handle given the scope of the situation.

“Some people went through a lot to see this happen today,” Foy said. “They went through decades of racial strife. Some went through pain and suffering. The least I could do was stand in the cold for a few extra hours. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

The groups of students left their hotel at 4:30 a.m. to get in line for the inauguration even though the gates didn’t open until 8 a.m. Floods of people crowded the streets and pushed their way into lines, but the students were among the 240,000 people with tickets.

Though crowds plowed their way through a fenced area and moved closer to the reflection pond in front of the Capitol, junior Tatton Jacob said he couldn’t comprehend the size of the crowd until he made it past the fenced area.

“I had a lot of people in front of me,” Jacob said. “I thought, ‘This is one of the biggest crowds I have ever seen.’ Then I looked behind me and it stretched all the way back to the Washington Monument and later I saw on TV it went Lincoln Memorial. I couldn’t even comprehend that number of people.”

As President Obama was sworn in just after 12 p.m., winds and hours of cold temperatures began to settle in, but that didn’t stop students from preparing for the President’s speech.

Senior Amy Applegarth said it isn’t one she will soon forget.

“The highlight for me was when Barack Obama gave his inaugural address because it was so inclusive and powerful,” Applegarth said. “It was almost an out-of-body experience to be there in person. He made it clear we had to solve problems as a country. Not just him, but as Americans.”

Streets after the speech were crowded and chaotic as students traveled through the I-65 tunnel en route to Doane alumni Bill and Barbara Conklin’s apartment.

The Conklin’s, whose apartment sits ten stories above Pennsylvania Avenue, hosted students for the inaugural parade.

While the first minutes were spent warming up and recouping from nine hours of standing, students soon enjoyed the balcony view of the parade route.

Bill Conklin said before the parade began that he had sent a letter to President Obama stating the President should stop outside of the Navy Memorial, which Bill designed, and salute and wave to the crowd.

Though Bill never received a response, President Obama’s limo halted moments later in front of the apartment complex to a roar of applause.

Not only did Obama get out to wave to the crowd, he walked a few blocks with First Lady Michelle Obama. Jacob said he thought this was a sign of times to come.

“I will always remember when he got out of his car,” Jacob said. “You know people advised him not to, but he didn’t back down. It was a really confident move to walk like that even if only for 100 steps. It was a confident gesture that bodes well for the future.”

Students will return to Nebraska tomorrow to end the interterm trip, but as Foy said, students should carry President Obama’s words home with them as reminders of our country’s goals.

“He said something about being friends with different countries and that’s something we don’t have,” Foy said. “We don’t have the best foreign relations right now. It’s a lot bigger than fifty states and its important, to get along and be friends not foes.”