Kasteel Well students gathered Tuesday at 1 a.m. CEST to watch election results come in at a watch party organized by the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) staff and resident assistants. Faculty welcomed students with beanbags, blankets, pizza, and snacks as they geared up for a long night.
Many students expressed gratitude for having a space to watch with friends in what can be an otherwise isolating experience.
Elinor Werthman, a sophomore theater and performance major, said that their original plan was to go to sleep but that watching the election as a group was a better way to relieve their stress.
“The energy in the castle today has been very community-based,” Werthman said. “Having all of us in this room together kind of allows us to have an outlet for [our] stress in a better way than if I just went to sleep.”
Emma Mason, a sophomore theater and performance major, also said she appreciated the support the event curated.
“I think it’s wonderful … It’s such a cozy, comfy space where people can feel safe to sit and chat with their friends and have snacks and food,” said Mason.
Reid Perry, a sophomore writing, literature, and publishing major and one of the Kasteel Well RAs, said faculty and RAs wanted to create a safe space for the students.
“We wanted to create a space for people to just be together and be stressed out together and eat snacks and have comfort and community while we watch this historic moment, no matter which way it goes,” said Perry.
A member of the OSA staff and Tikesha Morgan, senior advisor for Student Affairs, were both present throughout the event which ran to 6 a.m CEST. Morgan had arrived on Monday in order to be at the Castle for the elections, stating that it was imperative for her to be on campus to support the students and the Kasteel Well staff.
“Being here is a priority for our students to make sure that there is administration here,” said Morgan.
Leading up to the election, OSA staff had also prepped students on how to vote as it was the first presidential election that the students could vote in.
“I feel like I had so many people there to help me and resources that I could ask questions for, especially here at the castle, and I think that that helped me get my vote in,” said Mason.
Before election night, much of the student population had felt removed from events back in the States. With much of their time spent traveling and experiencing Europe, many have stated how hard it’s been keeping up to date.
“We’re so far disconnected,” said Werthman. “I feel like it applies to a lot of people, we haven’t really been thinking about this until just today.”
“I felt a little guilty because I feel like here I am traveling and getting all these new experiences abroad, while our country back home is going through a major change and shift that’s going to affect everybody’s lives,” said Mason.
On the other hand, students also expressed how the distance has also taught them about thinking about the elections from a more worldwide view. By studying in Europe, students have been able to receive multiple different, non-American, perspectives as the election cycle in the U.S. has become a global issue, not just a domestic one.
“I’m not just forgetting about it or disconnecting from my community back home, I’m able to still keep in touch with them while also doing this important experience and seeing how this is going to benefit my life and how I act now coming back to America,” said Mason. “ I think all the conversations that we have in our classes of different European perspectives will just make us as students go back with such a more worldwide holistic view instead of being so narrowed in American thought.”
