Institute of Politics Hosts State of the Union Watch Party

Members of the Harvard community watch from the IOP as President Obama gives the State of the Union address on Jan. 28. By Tiana A Abdulmassih

Harvard’s political enthusiasts packed the floors of the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on Tuesday night to watch President Obama deliver his sixth State of the Union Address.

Tuesday’s annual viewing party for the President’s State of the Union Address was open to the public and co-sponsored by the Institute of Politics, the Harvard College Democrats, and the Harvard Republican Club.

In the address, Obama outlined some his policy priorities this year, including early and college education, unemployment, the economy, and strong but narrow military goals.

Reactions to the President’s speech from attendees at the viewing party varied. Dhruva Bhat ’17, who hails from India, saw the State of the Union Address for the first time last night. He said he was glad he saw it for the first time at the IOP viewing party because he could watch it with members of different political parties and gauge their reactions.

For Tianhao He ’15, who has been involved with the IOP in the past, the JFK Jr. Forum was a great venue to hear the speech because it connected to a part of the speech’s message.

“The fact that the College hosts events like this is very important, because it encourages kids to have a passion for public service,” he said. “The speech is so powerful because it speaks about the need to have a passion for public service, caring about the problems affecting our country, and working together to find the solutions.”

Eva A. Guidarini ’15, president of the IOP, said that the event provides College students of all political affiliations a way to engage in a speech that is more fun than watching alone.

For example, in addition to watching the address together, attendees also engaged with the speech by playing a game of “phrase bingo” organized by members of the IOP. Each “bingo number” was a phrase frequently used by Obama, and participants crossed out phrases occurring in the speech as they listened. Those with filled boards were entered into a raffle for prizes.

“It’s a great way to bring everyone back on campus and get everyone excited about politics and public service as we launch a new semester, especially going into a midterm election year,” Guidarini said.

—Staff writer Quynh-Nhu Le can be reached at quynhnhule@college.harvard.edu.