College Shorts

Students celebrate death of Osama bin Laden

At 11:35 p.m. on May 1, President of the United States Barack Obama announced that U.S. special forces had killed Osama bin Laden. The news caused an eruption of varying emotions across the country, but college campuses proved to be mostly jubilant.

Student journalists from Pennsylvania State University (PSU) estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000 people attended a rally in the streets of State College, Penn. Students sang “God Bless America” and the “Star Spangled Banner”, blew vuvuzelas, crowd surfed and set off fireworks. Grant Bower, a freshman at PSU, commented on the breadth of the rally.

“This is complete and utter madness, but I think it’s called for,” said Bower. “Most people would consider themselves un-American if they weren’t happy right now. It’s gonna be the Fourth of July until the Fourth of July.”

Rallies also happened outside of the White House and at Ground Zero in New York. Caitlin Gilbert, a student from Georgetown University, described the scene at the White House.

“I saw people crying, hugging, smoking weed, jumping, climbing lampposts and trees and so much more,” said Gilbert.

Students at West Virginia University burned dumpsters and couches in the streets.

At Yale University in New Haven, Conn, students gathered on the Old Campus green and chanted “Osama, Osama, Hey hey hey, Goodbye!”

Alex Moffit, a Yale student, said the reaction of the Yale campus was touching.

“America and Yale celebrated, and it was beautiful,” said Moffit.

 

— Huffpost College, NextGen Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education