Window to Opportunity

Coming back on campus this semester was such a strange transition. The campus no longer held the infamous Fox Box and we could no longer enter Cushing and encounter hundreds of celebrities hanging out and having coffee. It was only on returning to campus that I fell to a very intimate, bittersweet realization- I would never have the experience of working the NH Primary debates on the Saint Anselm College campus again. It was also at this moment, though, that it really hit me how incredible of an opportunity all of us had been able to have that week, and that it would most certainly be something that we would never forget.

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Win Big

The Saint Anselm College Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Chapter won third place at the Boston College Duel on the Heights Competition on January 19. Read more

Back To Reality

It’s a little surreal that the Primary is over. In the first week of January, I was weaving in and out of satellite trucks parked on the Quad and avoiding walking through a live shot in Cushing Student Center. No longer are credentials required to pass through police to gain access to campus. The protesters and supporters are gone, the hundreds of international journalists have dispersed and the candidates have all moved on. It’s almost too quiet right now, even with 2,000 students going about their day heading to and from classes.

Earlier this week I thought back on some of the events that I’ve found myself in over the past two and a half years: I’ve worked for CNN, ABC and CBS. I’ve met - at least twice - and in most instances several times - all of the candidates, one of whom will become the next President of the United States. I’ve been inside lectures, speeches and at rallies that most American’s see on their televisions, or read about in their newspapers. And I’ve gained an understanding of, and appreciation for a unique New Hampshire event, it’s Primary.

Four years ago, during the 2004 New Hampshire Primary, as I contemplated my big decision: where to attend college? I remember seeing Fox News broadcasting live from a quaint snowy campus on the outskirts of Manchester. Every once in a while, the camera would pan across some ivy covered brick, with the television personality noting they were “broadcasting live from Saint Anselm College.” Little did I know at the time in 2004, but four years later, I’d find myself in countless situations where Charles Gibson, Shepherd Smith, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Bob Schieffer and dozens of others would say that - as I stood within earshot.

I’ve watched my campus morph for five nationally televised debates. I’ve had front row seats for policy addresses, and I’ve been in the background of so many live shots that my parents don’t even bother calling anymore to alert me that they just saw me on the Nightly News or Larry King Live. In the past two years, it has become such commonplace to bump into a candidate or media personality that I’ve almost started to take it all for granted.

And so it ends, for now. Time to get reacquainted with our quiet campus, to develop the dozens of photographs, and to recount the stories with friends about the crazy things we saw and did as part of the unique tradition that is the New Hampshire Primary.

Those Were the Days

One of the best things about going to school at Saint Anselm College is the feeling that you really belong. Well, unless it’s N.H. primary debate week.

At other schools, students must show their IDs to a cop or security guard before entering their building. At Saint Anselm, students usually enjoy the feeling of a community; we move around campus freely, without having to whip out our IDs at every building.

However, this week was a little different. As all eyes were on our campus, the security increased. So much so that at some points the campus was closed off, completely. Even to us, the Saint Anselm students.

I figured with my all access pass I wouldn’t have this problem of closed off buildings and parking lots. But today I was stopped many times and had to explain that I was working for the college. When it comes to politics even the small college of Saint Anselm becomes locked down.

I’m Within Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Tonight, I had the opportunity to meet Viggo Mortensen, an avid supporter for Dennis Kucinich and the famous Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings films. Read more

Life in “The White Hot Center of the Universe”

When things started to pick up before the debates on Saturday afternoon, I knew it was going to be an exciting evening. The energy on campus was high and everyone in a few mile radius could feel it. As one reporter told me yesterday, “We are the white-hot center of the universe tonight—and you’re in the middle of it.”

That sentiment certainly echoed true throughout the night. With days of preparation behind me, the moment was finally here. Streams of journalists filed past me to pick up their credentials: everyone from prominent The New York Times reporters, to the managing editor of People magazine, to Japanese public television correspondents. All of them were excited to see not only what the debates held in store, but this whole election. And as someone with a large appreciation for popular culture—it was beyond memorable that I met people who I watch on TV every morning, and people who write for the magazines that I read religiously every week.

Things reached a fever pitch during the time in the spin room. Journalists rushed from the Media Filing Center in Carr Center to the spin room in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium. All eyes were eager with anticipation and all cameras were pointed and ready to click at who would walk through the door ready to “spin” their candidate. You could tell the instant that someone walked in because the cameras and journalists would form an imposing swarm around the person and the cameras would start flashing. Republican candidate Ron Paul’s arrival into the spin room caused an uproar, as did Elizabeth Edwards and Mass. Governor Deval Patrick.

Even though the energy surrounding this event is starting to die down, the fervor for this historic election is still going on. I was asked yesterday by a reporter why I was interested in what was going on if I wasn’t a politics major. I responded that this is an important election for everyone because of the big issues on the table. But more than that, this election is truly history in the making. And as a history major, being even a small piece of that is all that I could ask for. And all of the other people I met and things I experienced was just icing on an already very sweet cake.

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