THROUGHOUT the history of the United States there have been moments of seminal importance, occasions that, when we look back on them, are considered epic in their meaning for the American narrative. This country has seen traumatic events like the razing of the capital in 1814 by the British, brave instances where GIs stormed the beaches at Normandy, jubilant occurrences like the day the Second World War ended, and inspiring moments like Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Joining the long list of these significant happenings in our nation’s history was the inauguration of Barack Obama as the forty-fourth president of the United States on Tuesday, the first minority to be President of the United States. And thanks to the University, a commitment to attending class was removed from interfering with the viewing of that event, one which will be one of the defining moments of our generation. The provost and other University officials should be lauded for permitting everyone in the University community to join in a celebration.
Clearly, this inauguration was anything but typical. Obama is the first African-American president, a member of an ethnic group which has historically been discriminated against more than any other in this country. Considering what Obama has achieved, his rise to the presidency is not just an impressive individual event but one with major importance to the American community. In an increasingly plural society, his presidency already represents how much this country has changed in just our lifetimes. Thus, more than any other inauguration, this one represents the multicultural society we live in, one in which the presidency does not have to be occupied by a white male. For the students of this university, a diverse group in every sense, it was appropriate that all were given the opportunity to see this symbolic moment in our nation’s history without risk of missing class.
Not only did the University give its community a chance to experience this event but it also provided a great communal venue for watching it. While few were able to make the trek up to Washington due to the traffic or cost, utilizing John Paul Jones Arena to show the events of the day helped create a locale where students could collectively take in the inauguration.. Carol Wood, the University spokesperson, called attention to the large number of citizens from the area who also took advantage of the viewing, saying that its success has opened the door to possibly employing JPJ for important events in the future, which would be a positive community-building move. Furthermore, based on crowd’s reactions, it is clear that many felt like they were, in a sense, in Washington. As there is no better way to watch stirring events than in a crowd because it heightens the moment, the arena served as a great place for students and locals to view this historic occurrence.
There have been accusations of partisanship in response to the University’s decision to suspend class from eleven to two for the inauguration and even some for allowing people to view the event at JPJ. However, there is no questioning the historic nature of the inauguration of America’s first president of a minority race so it is hard to criticize the decision to call off classes. Making sure students were not hindered from watching history unfold was not a matter of political affiliation but one that appreciated the magnitude of the event for the student body.
The only negative about the University’s decision-making related to the inauguration was the tardiness of its announcement suspending classes. Bearing in mind the quirkiness of the academic calendar at the start of the semester, classes that meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays between eleven and two were hindered by the changes because they only met once last week and again once this week. Had the decision been made or announced earlier, professors would have had time to adjust their syllabi accordingly to account for Inauguration Day. Since the election was decided in November it is surprising this decision was not made sooner. As it was, the faculty were left scrambling to deal with this change of schedule. In the end, though, the meaningfulness of the event far outweighed missing one class which was certainly an additional consideration made by the University. A multitude of students would probably have skipped class anyway to watch the inaugural events if the schedule had been normal.
University officials made an admirable decision to call off classes for the inauguration as they recognized the historical importance of Barack Obama becoming the next President. For this generation of students at the University, there will likely be few more symbolic moments than that of the first minority president taking office. To account for the momentous occasion by suspending classes and providing a great venue to watch it in demonstrates that University officials appreciated how important this event was to the community and how historically significant the date January 20, 2009, will be in the annals of American history.
Geoff Skelley’s column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at g.skelley@cavalierdaily.com.
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