The enthusiastic atmosphere of the celebration on State Street Tuesday following the 2008 presidential election has illicited comparisons to the campus political activism of the past.
The gathering on State Street was spontaneous and grew in number as many UW-Madison students headed toward the Capitol and eventually stormed Bascom Hill. University of Wisconsin Police Department officials estimated approximately 700 people took part in the celebration.
Zachary Zaban, a UW-Madison sophomore, said he heard shouts and screams of excitement from his open balcony window on Gorham Street while watching the election with his roommate.
I haven't for a long time seen people so passionate about the country. People were so excited and happy,"" Zaban said.
Sophomore Jessica Jordani said she felt a similar sentiment.
""It was one of the most life-changing experiences '¦ to be part of this liberal campus and to see after the elections all these students congregating on State Street, which is such a central part to Madison,"" Jordani said.
The crowd banged pots, pans and drums as they marched toward Bascom Hill, where students jumped the concrete ledge at the foot of the hill to walk directly to the top.
Sophomore Whitney Conen said the celebration on State Street left her with a sense of involvement like that of student activists in the Vietnam War era.
""I thought about how cool it was to compare the protests from the '60s to what happened [Tuesday] night,"" Conen said. ""In the '60s all these people were protesting for the anti-war movement and what they believed in. Now we can show our support for what we believe in a different way.""
Senior Charles Berens, a member of the student-led nonpartisan Project Youthanize, filmed the event with co-workers for an upcoming documentary on student activism. He said that Tuesday night's election demonstrated activism in its purest form.
""This election has shown the power of the youth vote and the power of organizing a large group of people and getting the results that [students] want,"" Berens said. ""I hope people will continue being active and push any elected official to the results they want.""
Political science professor Dennis Dresang said he thought the celebration on State Street differed from the protests seen in the 1960s.
""What happened [Tuesday] night on State Street from my understanding was a wonderful, spontaneous, positive demonstration of feeling,"" Dresang said. ""When we look at the other activism from another era it wasn't in favor for something, it was against something.""
Former chancellor John Wiley attended UW-Madison in the '60s during the invasion of Vietnam and experienced the riots on campus firsthand. Wiley said although student involvement is different today he is happy with the student activism generated from the election.
""In [the '60s] the student activism was just about universal. It dominated everything that happened on campus,"" Wiley said. ""Compared to those days, the last 30 years on campus have been pretty calm, [but] I do think we have a lot of politically engaged students '¦ They pay attention to national and world affairs and the ways in which they get involved and become engaged.""
Berens said the celebration on State Street took place during a historic moment in time.
""I have never sensed that kind of energy on this campus really anywhere,"" he said.
According to Wiley, students on campus made a large contribution to voter turnout in Wisconsin and around the nation.
""The election is sending shockwaves around the world, almost to universal acclaim from what I have been hearing and reading '¦ so we have a lot to be proud of,"" he said.
