By Kerri Linsenbigler
Features Editor
After months of ads, speeches, tour stops and campaigning, America elected its president Tuesday night. With 303 Electoral votes, President Barack Obama won a second term in the White House. For many Bonaventure students, this came as no surprise.
“Everyone knows the tradition of a president getting reelected for a second term,” said Ryan McDough, a freshman journalism and mass communication major. “It was nice hoping Romney would win, but in the back of my mind, I always knew Obama would come out with the win.”
According to Ryan DeOrdio, president of College Democrats, Obama made himself more relatable to Americans than Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate.
“Mostly it’s because he presents himself not as polished as other candidates do,” said DeOrdio, a junior journalism and mass communication major. “I think that especially helped him, compared to Mitt Romney, because I feel Romney was very polished.”
Tatiana Ithier, a junior marketing major, agreed.
Ithier said Obama did a better job associating himself with a larger demographic.
“Obama had most of the people’s attention,” Ithier said. “Romney really associated himself with the older, richer generation.”
Ashley Oliver, co-president of College Republicans, said Romney focused too much of his attention on the Tea Party vote.
She also said Romney should have done more to secure the vote of other American groups.
“Obama targeted the younger generation and the minority population,” said Oliver, a senior political science major. “These two groups are key during the campaign season.”
Recent events also helped turn the voting in Obama’s favor, according to Jake Piegay, a freshman undecided major.
“He had a strong head of steam coming in to the election,” Piegay said. “He just got Osama Bin Laden, and he’s doing a lot with health care.”
While Obama may have won the election, Bonaventure students agreed the president needs to work hard to uphold his campaign promises. One of the most pressing issues Obama faces, according to students, is the ever-accumulating national debt.
“I’m hoping he’ll get the debt straightened out,” said Rachel Losito, a sophomore pre-engineering major. “He was focusing on social things (in his campaign), but I hope he’ll focus more on the business side now.”
In order to decrease the nearly $20 billion debt, DeOrdio suggested Obama cut military spending, as he promised at the Democratic National Convention, and to end the war in Afghanistan.
Obama also needs to uphold his promise to college students, according to Robbie Chulick, a senior journalism and mass communication major.
While in office, Obama has tried to ease the debt of this generation, Chulick said, but he needs to continue this work.
“Even though I would have voted for Romney if I was 10 years older, I feel Obama understands the struggles college students face in regards to the cost of a post-secondary education,” Chulick said. “I would hope he continues to keep interest rates as low as possible for student loans and he continues to maintain Pell Grant funding for those who qualify.”
Ultimately, Obama’s next term will be a second chance to make good on his policies and beliefs, students said.
According to Oliver, if Obama works with America’s representatives, the country will pull through the hard times.
“Even though both parties disagree with one another on various issues and beliefs, one common goal that we all share is to be the best country that we can be,” Oliver said. “I hope that, in the next four years, President Obama will put America back on the path of greatness our country and our people are destined for.”
