Election Elicits Beer, Cheers, Apathy

Many students watching the election returns around the University last night said they were enthused about the early prospects of a Jimmy Carter victory, although they felt ambivalent about Carter himself.

"Ford struck me as a complacent guy; Carter's not going to be that way," Graham Gardner '79 said last night as he watched the returns come in at Kirkland House.

"For good or bad, he's going to make some changes," Gardner added.

Some students said they chose Carter over Ford as the lesser of two evils. "I voted for Carter, not because I think much of him as a candidate," Nina Drayton '79 said last night. Carter was preferable to Ford in the White House, she said.

Another Carter supporter, Daniel L. Smith '80, characterized Ford as "incompetent in general." He said Carter's early lead was "great," and added he would consider "moving to Europe if Ford won."

'Go Mexico'

A few Ford supporters said they would be similarly upset by a Carter victory. "Mexico is the place to go" should Carter win, Fred Cordova '79 said last night, just as Walter Cronkite was announcing the New York returns on a television set in Kirkland House.

"If Carter wins, I'll have the same depression I'd have if Harvard lost the Yale game," Cordova said.

He agreed with Chris Sarro '79 that Carter represents a tremendous risk. The two drank beer as they watched the reports of election results.

Beers Go Down

"As more Carter stats go up, more beers go down," Sarro added.

A number of people said they were apathetic about the results of the election. "What's the difference--nothing important is going to change," Mark Epstein '80 said last night.

Linda Riordan '79, a McCartly supporter, said she felt there should be an alternative choice for voters. She said she preferred Ford over Carter, but that there was "not much of a choice" between them.

Students clustered around television sets in common rooms and dorms, armed with beer, Fritos and pretzels to wait out the results of the election.

There were election parties in several Yard dorms, especially Mathews and Grays.

At the Quad, there appeared to be more enthusiasm among Briggs residents watching the returns when the pretzels were passed out than when results were announced.