Students travel to inauguration

At 3 a.m. on Tuesday, 41 VCU students and Richmond locals took a charter bus to join others at the inauguration of the 44th President, Barack Obama.

The trip was organized by VCU students Josh Kadrich and Katherine Rivara, who wanted to attend the inauguration. Both Kadrich and Rivara worked as volunteers for Obama’s campaign over the summer. Kadrich, former regional director of Students for Barack Obama, said that the trip was “something we just needed to do.”

Students paid $50 for a seat on the bus heading directly to the capitol. They bypassed much of the traffic because only taxis and buses were allowed to cross the bridges into the city. They also avoided the metro system, expected to be busier than any time in history.

The students arrived in Washington, D.C., at 5 a.m., only 10 blocks from the National Mall, where the ceremony was held. The students spent three hours traveling the extensive series of detours and closed roads on foot because of the crowds and security checkpoints.

This year’s inauguration was the largest and most expensive in American history. Attendance doubled that of former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1.2 million, the previous record holder. Obama’s inauguration also cost four times that of the previous record holder, George W. Bush.

The temperature was another topic of conversation for some students. The high temperature for the day was 31 degrees, and when the Inauguration ceremonies began, the temperature with wind chill was 14 degrees. Sarah Drake, a senior theater major, said it felt colder when the sun came up than when they arrived that morning.

“I was cold, but it was worth it. Don’t get me wrong,” Drake said.

Regardless of the cold, students said they recognize the historical significance of the event.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Kelly Vetter, a senior photography major at Longwood University.

“When I one day have a family, I want to be able to tell them where I was when we inaugurated the first black president.”

Students expressed different opinions about what affected them most. Stephen Rice, a junior business major, said his favorite part was when Obama finally put his hand on the Bible and took the oath of office.

“It was like the beginning of a new era for America,” Rice said.

Some students commented about the reaction to Bush at the inauguration.

“I feel a little bad about it, but my favorite part was when they introduced Bush and a boo erupted from the audience,” Rivara said.

Most of the trip’s participants had an issue they hope to see addressed in Obama’s term. Rivara, who is most concerned with the environment, wants to see new green jobs. Vetter wants Obama to revoke Bush’s executive order that made it legal to hunt wolves in Wyoming.

Although Rivara said she isn’t going to agree with everything that the new president does, she thinks Obama has earned her trust by speaking openly and honestly about complex issues.

“As long as he continues to treat voters with respect, he will keep engaging and encouraging people like me to show up and help him get things done,” Rivara said.