CELEBRATION
CAMPUS ERUPTS AFTER HISTORIC OBAMA WIN

By JULIE ROWE
Daily Staff Reporter
It was through tears, screams and com-
plete elation that Kinesiology sophomore
Carolyn McCloud processed the realization
that the nation elected a black president.
Speechless, she dropped to her knees
in the midst of hundreds of students gath-
ered on the Diag just after 11 last night, and
prayed to God, grateful that Barack Obama
was elected the next president of the Unit-
ed States.
While she knelt, students erupted in
deafening chants of "Yes we did!" and
"Obama!" which soared in volume over
chaotic cheers, screams and tears.
Shortly after Obama gave his acceptance
speech near midnight, a band of percus-
sionists, a saxophonist and a tag-a-long

didgeridoo player headed to the Diag play-
ing a jazz version of the National Anthem.
The hundreds already gathered at the cen-
ter of campus circled the band.
Students continued to pour into the Diag
from all directions, a few waving large
American Flags. A handful of University
police monitored the crowd, including one
car parked on a path between the Diag and
West Hall. The crowd remained peaceful,
yet rowdy as police watched.
A group of students formed a drum
line on the steps of the Hatcher Graduate
Library, while hundreds of students alter-
nated chants of "Go-bama!" and "Yes we
can!" to the beat.
After receiving text messages, a group of
students encouraged those gathered to go
to the streets. Students were asking each
other for a destination but no one seemed to

"America, we have
come so far. We
have seen so much.
But there is so
much more to do."
Sen. Barack Obama
President-elect of the United States
ofAmerica

know - or care where the crowd was head-
ing. Some headed to Michigan Stadium,
others to the intersection of State Street
and Liberty Street.
One group marched to the steps of the
Michigan Union, clogging State Street and
chanting, "It's great to see an Obama vic-
tory." A portion of the crowd walked along
toward the home of University President
Mary Sue Coleman and called for her to
make a speech. She never emerged and the
group soon moved eastward on South Uni-
versity Avenue.
The crowds and celebrations, though
numerous and disparate, only grew through
the evening as national results came in.
As of 4 a.m., Obama had won 338 elec-
toral votes, well above the 270 needed to
secure the presidency. Republican nominee
John McCain clinched 163 votes.

Obama won about 52.6 percent of the
popular vote, to McCain's 47.4 percent.
In the crucial fight for swing states,
Obama nearly swept Republican nominee
McCain, though not by substantial margins
in individual states. Obama took ,Florida,
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia. As of 4
a.m., North Carolina, Missouri and Indiana
were too close to call.
Students cheered well into the early
morning hours, celebrating the Democratic
candidate's decisive victory.
"I feel this is the greatest moment of our
lives," said LSA sophomore Rose Balzer.
"There's no doubt about that."
While students rejoiced in the streets,
singing "The Star Spangled Banner" and
choruses of "The Victors," results trickled
in from Ann Arbor precincts, showing a
See OBAMA, Page 7A

(TOP) Students celebrate Sen. Barack Obama's presidential victory on the
Diag last night. (LEFT) LSA freshman Dilara Uskup, a member of the
Black Student Union, reacts to Obama winning the presidency.