This year, two top political science students from Saint Peter’s College were accepted into The Washington Center’s Inauguration Program in Washington, D.C., from January 10 through 20. In addition to learning about the inner workings of the American political landscape and expanding their knowledge of American and international politics, seniors Edward Hennessy and Christopher DePizzo also attended the historic inauguration of the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.
“As he [Barack Obama] recited the oath, you could feel the anticipation in the crowd,” Hennessy recalled. “When Chief Justice John Roberts said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. President,’ the crowd went wild. A sea of American flags were waving all around me.”
Both Hennessy and DePizzo were honored to attend the event and the inaugural program. “I really feel privileged to have witnessed this presidential inauguration. While I was there, I could not help but think what an important event it was in American history and how it will likely be seen as a defining event for my generation,” Hennessy said.
For those who couldn’t make it to D.C., the Department of Student Affairs planned an event so that the College community could witness this historic inauguration. In addition to a live telecast beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the McIntyre Lounge on Saint Peter’s Jersey City campus, there were a number of other relevant presentations: Video footage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s "I Have a Dream” speech; a display of mementos from Dr. King’s visit to the College in 1965, when he accepted an honorary degree at the Michaelmas Convocation; an exhibit about the historical journey of activist Rosa Parks; and a tape of Barack Obama’s visit to Saint Peter’s during his election campaign a year ago.
Prior to the swearing-in, Political Science Professor Alain Sanders gave the audience at Saint Peter’s College insight into the historic event through The Obama Inauguration: Version 2009 of the Great American Ritual is Both Old and Fresh—a preamble to his political commentary that would appear in the next day’s Star Ledger.
Professor Sanders provided context for the “great American ritual” by saying that everything that happens within an inauguration consists of tradition and circumstances. The only part mandated by the U.S. Constitution is the swearing of the Oath of Office.
The actual purpose of the extra-Constitutional portion of an inauguration, he said, is to celebrate political renewal and continuity, and to mark the peaceful transfer of power. He remarked that the United States is one of the few countries to achieve the peaceful transfer of power continually.
A journalist for 21 years, Sanders was a senior reporter for TIME magazine and has provided political commentary to The Wall Street Journal. He is a graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and Columbia University Law School.
At Saint Peter’s, the day’s event ended with a performance by Saint Peter’s gospel choir, Voices of Praise.