Outside rain fell in a steady drizzle, but inside the walls of the Sanford Institute of Public Policy, it was thundering.
Cheers erupted at Duke Votes: The Election Party as media outlets announced President-elect Barack Obama's victory late Tuesday night. About 700 members of the Duke community packed Sanford for the campus-wide viewing party, filling every nook of its labyrinth-like structure.
"This is history in the making. I'm moved to the verge of tears," junior Lina Feng said.
Students on both ends of the political spectrum said this election has engendered a surge in political interest across campus.
Duke Democrats President Ben Bergmann, a sophomore, said Obama's achievement as the first black president will encourage and inspire students to take a more optimistic stance in the world.
Others, however, seemed dejected by the outcome.
"I think it's a sad day for this country-this guy is farther left than a self-proclaimed socialist," sophomore Cliff Satell said. "I'm at least happy it's not a landslide.... But overall, America is lost today."
The usually study-friendly open space at Sanford was turned into a red, white and blue political frenzy, as spectators gathered around a large screen to commemorate the occasion and track the election results over free food and drinks. In addition to balloons, streamers and life-sized cutouts of the presidential candidates, the walls were adorned with maps highlighting public policy professors' predictions of how each state would vote.
A Democratic crowd dominated the scene, overshadowing the nearly empty Republican-themed room showing Fox News where conservative students gathered. According to The Chronicle's election poll, conducted from Oct. 27-30 among undergraduates eligible to vote, 74.8 percent of Duke students preferred Obama over Republican Sen. John McCain.
"I think [the Democratic crowd has] been representative of the University's preferences," said senior Jason Pate, president of the Public Policy Majors Union. "I think everyone's been very respectful of one another."
The peace was shattered, however, when a student burst into the Fox News room shouting, "Is anyone here a McCain supporter? Eat sh-!"
"You don't see anybody wearing McCain stickers, they're all wearing Obama shirts and buttons," sophomore Scott Basford said of attendees. "[Obama supporters] are definitely more visible on campus."
The disproportional support for the two candidates may have deterred conservative students from attending election celebrations, said Duke College Republicans Chair Vikram Srinivasan, a junior.
Although reactions were strong in Sanford at the sign of a clear winner, many students noted that they were able to predict the election outcome early.
"I think it's interesting to play [the race] off as so much closer than it is," said Jay Stringer, a graduate student in pharmacology. "It seems like CNN and other networks are trying to keep people watching even though it is going to be over very quickly."
Across Towerview Drive, partygoers expressed a more uniform sentiment of hope through an open forum at the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. Ninety-six percent of black students at Duke support Obama, according to The Chronicle's election poll.
Congregated in a homey environment, participants discussed issues such as the implications of Obama's presidency for the future of the black community.
"Barack Obama doesn't solve race problems in America.... This doesn't mean there is no longer institutionalized racism," junior Shari Baker said. "Obama is a beacon of light and he is an example that things can change, but not that they have changed already."
Still, amid the excitement as results were announced, some students remembered their priorities.
"I'm going to the library right now," junior Racquel Quarless said. "Obama is not going to finish my problem set."
Kristen Davis and Ally Helmers contributed reporting.
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