Collegiate Times

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While Virginia Tech students woke up for their first day of the spring semester, Barack Obama woke up for his first day as president of the free world. Despite the 250-mile gap between the nation's capital and Blacksburg, the Tech community did not lack in opportunities to ring in the new president.

The Office of Equity and Inclusion turned the Squires Ballroom into an Inauguration Day viewing event.

Towers of red, white and blue balloons lined the walls of the ballroom and past inauguration speeches were on display at the entrance. Copies of past speeches were also placed on the circular tables along with patriotically wrapped Tootsie Rolls and bubble gum as well as inauguration quizzes.

"We opened the doors at 10 a.m.," said Ray Plaza, director of diversity initiatives for the Office of Equity and Inclusion. "Some folks have been here since 10 a.m. just catching everything."

Ten o'clock is nothing. Junior IDST major Paige Urben had been up since 6 a.m. to watch the inauguration events develop.

"I woke up alert ... I just stayed up. And I was watching all the pre-coverage news and informing all my roommates coming into the room," she said.

For many students, Urben included, morning classes were cut short so students could go to Squires and watch the swearing-in. Urben got to the Ballroom at around 10:30 a.m. and said that it was completely packed an hour later.

Plaza estimated that at the peak of the morning, 700 people filled the tables and standing room to watch the inauguration.

"The atmosphere was jovial, people were talking and interacting, they were looking at the quizzes on the table," Plaza said. "Once the ceremony started, everyone was fixated. When Aretha Franklin sang, when the vice president took the oath of office and when President Obama took the oath, too, everyone was fixated there."

Maureen Lawrence, an '08 Tech alumna and event worker for University Unions and Student Activities, served free popcorn to guests in the Ballroom all day. She said everyone was attentive and interested in the inauguration.

"People were definitely paying attention," Lawrence said. "When there was something they really enjoyed in somebody's speech they'd clap, and when the president was being sworn in, people stood up."

Just a block away from Squires, more of the Blacksburg community combined the presidential festivities with a good cause.

Blacksburg residents Ted and Faustine Settle came to Susan Mattingly, who owns the Lyric, with the idea to have an inauguration viewing and food drive at the downtown Blacksburg movie theater. The Settles funded the food drive for the National Day of Service, and all proceeds went to the Interfaith Food Pantry.

Faustine explained that the idea for the Inauguration Day food drive came from her experience with housing three Obama workers during the 2008 campaign.

"We saw how their organization operated, and we wanted that kind of organization to continue," she said. Faustine asked the workers how she could contribute, and they suggested that she and her husband host an Inauguration Day viewing. They went to Mattingly to organize it with the Lyric.

Mattingly called the drive "a huge success."

Tuesday also happened to be a teacher workday for area schools, and as a result, the Lyric attracted plenty of local youth.

Kyla Robbins and Grace Ross, sixth graders from Floyd, came on their day off to witness history.

"I'm just a big supporter of Obama," Robbins said. Even though she couldn't vote, Robbins said she watched the debates and put up signs during the campaign. "I'm happy the United States has got to a point where they will go for that (Obama)," she said.

Courtney Kimmel, a Tech graduate student who was also at the Lyric, shared the same sentiment.

"I think it's about time," she said. "It's interesting. This was really the first president of the 21st century."

Urben was pleased with the general attitude during the day.