University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

Page 15 text:

OBAMA WINS ■ Cries of “Yes we can” echoed across the UA campus, Fayetteville and the nation on Nov.4, 2008 as people everywhere watched as Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. Attendants at both Republican and Democratic watch parties anxiously awaited as votes flooded in from across the United States. Early in the evening, Obama already had a definitive lead over Senator John McCain and by about 9 o’clock that night, it was clear to many that Senator Obama would soon become President Obama. After the Obama victory was officially announced, people immediately began looking forward to Jan. 20 2009: Inauguration Day. Plane tickets were booked and schedules were rearranged as people made their plans to travel to Washington D.C. The anticipated day finally arrived and a crowd larger than any the National Mall had seen before squeezed in front of the stage where Obama was sworn in. An estimated 2 million people gathered on the Mall with millions more watching from their homes around the world as the inauguration progressed in the frigid winter weather. The Obama Era officially began at noon when Obama and Vice- President Joe Biden were sworn in on the steps of the historic US Capitol Building. In addition to the record-breaking inauguration ceremony, glamorous balls and galas were thrown around Washington D.C. to welcome in the new leaders. That evening, after the inauguration, President and First Lady Obama danced at a ball amid cheering supporters and friends and America got their first glimpse of the changing face of the First Family. TEXT: SHANNON SANDERS IMAGES: U RRY ASH COURTESY 13

Page 14 text:

STUDENT LIFE ZERO Newspapers covering the election left on campus I I Sljc Jsirtu JJork (times ggjjg OBAMA RACIAL BARRIER FALLS IN DECISIVE VICTORY NINE States changing parlies from 2004: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada Virginia 53% Popular Vote 365 Electoral Votes 71,400,000 in campaign donations

Page 16 text:

STUDENT LIFE Sophomore Sami Sutton doesn’t mind being an underdog AND PROVED IT WHEN SHE TOOK ON THE SYSTEM AND RAN FOR THE TOP spot in Fayetteville. Pre-med. Pre-law. Christian. Engaged. Homeowner. Green. Sales associate. Dog owner. 2007 Fayetteville High School graduate. There were many characteristics that defined 19-year-old UA sophomore Sami Sutton, but there was one that set her apart from most of her student peers: 2008 Fayetteville mayoral candidate. “I didn’t know anything [about what was going on in Fayetteville politics], and now that I know, I want to change it,” Sutton said.‘‘I never knew about how many businesses were wanting Fayetteville, and that only a few are being sought out.That’s something I want to change; we need to go after all of them.” Sutton had five points to her platform. She wanted to expand recycling, organize construction on the roads and trails, bring business back to Fayetteville, fund more programs for youth and clean up certain areas of Fayetteville. But Sutton did not stop there. ‘‘The city needs a closer relationship with the University,” Sutton said. Sutton believed that because students live in Fayetteville nine months out of the year, they should have the right to vote. She believed that the Fayetteville government “bypasses students, but they are citizens too.” Sutton wanted students to have someone to talk to if there was anything they found wrong and believed the University should have its own ward so that they could have a city council member. Sutton struggled with the media at times during her run as a candidate. “I’m the only candidate to be misquoted four times,” Sutton said. When she missed a forum for a test in a night class, she said the media jumped on her about being a student running for mayor, but they did not have all the facts. “My teacher gave me two choices of when I could take the test and both fell on the night of a forum. I chose to attend the Sierra Club Debate,” Sutton said about missing the League of Women Voters forum. Even though Greg Harton, editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times, described Sutton as “a sideshow,” she stayed positive. “Age is the biggest factor, and also that I’m a student,” Sutton said. “Some people won’t vote for me because of my age, just like some people won’t vote for [Sen. John] McCain because he is too old, and some people won’t vote for [Sen. Barack] Obama because he is black. But if they listen to me and take me seriously, I have a chance at winning.”