November 4, 2008 marked a milestone in history when the Democratic Presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama, won the election by a landslide victory (Obama- 364 electoral votes, McCain – 163 electoral votes). The announcement was made promptly after 11:00 pm when the polls on the west coast had closed. Here at Northeastern, many watched the projections from After Hours and the Curry Student Center. Celebratory shouts and screams quickly filled the air, after the announcement of the country’s first African-American president was made.

After receiving a dynamic acceptance speech from the new president-elect, the celebration continued on Huntington Avenue. Thousands gathered by the reflection pool near the Prudential Center to commemorate the great victory. Many ended up jumping in the pool, while others danced to the sounds of drums and horns.

At about 2:00 am, NUPD began to break the crowd up, urging all students to return to their dorms. As they marched down Huntington they yelled “Yes We Can” and “Obama-Obama-Obama.” This was also accompanied by them throwing Os and greeting peers with hi-5s.

It was definitely great to see college students take a stance and be involved in politics and more importantly, the making of history!

Homecoming officially kicked off on Monday, October 13 with PIKEtoberfest. Thousands gathered at the West Village Quad to witness live performances by the following bands: Boys Like Girls, Cute Is, and Lights. Undoubtedly, the main attraction was Boys Like Girls.

The audience responded to the hype by jumping up and down. There was also some crowd surfing. Free food, giveaways, and homecoming T-shirts were handed out by the masses.

Homecoming will continue with the introduction of Homecoming Court, the Mayor of Huntington Debate, Homecoming Pep Rally, an Evening with Jon Stewart, Homecoming Parade and Carnival, a football game vs. UNH, and a hockey game vs. BC.

Good Luck to our football and hockey teams…GO HUSKIES!!!

This year College Fest was held on September 27th and 28th at the Hynes Convention Center. Thousands of students from every college and university in Boston came out to take part in what many refer to as “the biggest back to school party in the area.”

Food and drink samples, T-shirts, posters, pens and pencils, airline tickets, and ipods were among the long list of giveaways. Companies such as Contiki Holidays, Verizon Wireless, jetBlue Airways, Monster Energy, Boston Bruins, MTL Vacations, Live Nation, CRUNK!!! Energy Drink, and Boston Acoustics were represented at the two-day fest.

Tickets were only $10; once inside, you basically had access to every single giveaway! In addition to all these free items, attendees were also privileged to witness Soulja Boy, Grammy recipient Chamillionaire, rock band Illionois, and season one runner-up of America’s Best Dance Crew Status Quo. Freestyle, karaoke, and pick-up line competitions were also held to stimulate audience participation throughout the event. Overall, College Fest ’08 was, once again, a great success.

After four months of summer break, everyone is heading back to Boston. The streets are lined with cars, parents, and students (many moving in to their new dorms/apartments, while others wait anxiously to pounce on their college experience). Stores such as Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Target, and Staples are bombarded with college students, shopping for everything they will need for the upcoming semesters. New faces are everywhere on campus, and although thousands are enrolled for classes this fall, many others are on coop.

Northeastern students, regardless of their graduating class, are always ecstatic about returning to Boston. If you ask around, most students would comment, “I had an amazing summer, but I’m definitely glad to be back!” Some even made it a priority to count down the days until they moved in. This goes to show the impact that life in Boston has on these students. All in all, everyone is happy to be back and our excitement cannot be controlled!