Hundreds of Tufts students gathered en masse on Packard Ave. between Barnum Hall and the Fletcher School early this morning to celebrate Sen. Barack Obama's presidential victory. Shortly after Obama's historic acceptance speech, students assembled, carrying signs, shouting and hugging.
As students left the Election Night Extravaganza at the campus center, they stayed outside. "Nobody wanted to go back to bed," junior Dan Stone said. "Someone said, ‘We're going to the quad,'" and the group ran up.
This crowd "collided" with another group that had congregated separately around Miller Hall, according to freshman Danielle Wilson. She had heard the celebrators from her dorm and came outside to join.
Chants of "Obama," "U.S.A." and "Yes we can" broke out sporadically among the crowd. Some voiced their equally enthusiastic approval of the passing of Question Two on the Massachusetts ballot, which decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
Students also started sing-alongs of "We are the Champions," "The Star Spangled Banner," and "We Shall Overcome."
At one point, an impromptu, fully clothed quad run broke out, spearheaded by senior Derek Ricciuto. The group ran around the Res quad once and then grouped on Packard again, where a few climbed trees, as well as Barnum's generator.
TUPD had at least one officer present to make sure the proceedings did not get out of hand.
"It's amazing," Stone said. "I'm struck by how universal this is," Stove called his host brother from his stay in Ghana at four in the morning to wake him up and tell him the news.
"I'm proud to be an American — as dumb as it sounds — for the first time," junior Jessie Sofio said.
--video by Matt Skibinski
