Day 7 (January 16, 2009)
From Ben Koch ‘10…
Meeting Sen. Roland Burris
This morning the seminar portion of The Washington Center officially concluded. Our speakers included Sam Donaldson, a panel of retired congressman, and a wrap-up lecture by Prof. Steve Bell.
In the afternoon, following up on the invitation to meet newly appointed Illinois Sen. Roland Burris, Lauren Porto ‘10 called his Chief-of-Staff and we were soon waiting to congratulate him and wish him well in his service to our great state. Although the situation surrounding his appointment was not ideal, he is now our senator, so we wanted to let him know that we support him.
During our short wait to meet with Sen. Burris, his office must have received more than 20 phone calls from people regarding tickets his office might have for the Inauguration. The receptionist kindly explained over and over that they did not, but I can only imagine that this had almost been her full-time job since his appointment. Soon Sen. Burris emerged from his office with a glow of excitement on his face. Although new to his post, he looked like a seasoned senator. Again, I noticed that he appeared shorter than I thought from on television. Why is this always my first reaction? His actions, however, were different.
He took the time to shake each of our hands, ask about our hometown, major and discuss our school and university experience. I could tell that things were very busy in his office, yet he took nearly 15 minutes to meet with us. This was unlike the exposure I’ve had with other senators and was very pleased. I hope he can make this welcoming attitude a highlight of his tenure.
Capitol Tour
My group then crossed the road and went down the stairs into the lavish and newly opened Capitol Visitor’s Center for the official Capitol tour. The Visitor’s Center is beautiful and there are statues everywhere, which I later learned were given one per state to be displayed. The tour began with a 15-minute movie, “Out of Many, One”. The movie was a broad display and record of the history of the Capitol building and its influence on our nation’s democracy.
I felt truly inspired to finally be in the Capitol. The tour, however, was a bit disappointing because of the limitations created from security concerns. Unlike the House and Senate Office buildings, there were places our group simply was not welcome to explore and as a result we only saw three rooms: The Rotunda, Statuary Hall, and the crypt. In the lavish Rotunda, I learned about the artwork that donned its wall. (Did you know that the Statue of Liberty could fit inside the Capitol Rotunda and be 24 feet short from the top?) Unlike my impression of the senators, the Rotunda actually appeared taller than I expected.
Inside Statuary Hall I was able to see Illinois’ contribution: a statue of Frances Willard, the great educator from Illinois and the first female statue to be added to the collection. The crypt was an odd room that was supposed to be the final resting place of Pres. George Washington and his wife Martha. I don’t blame Pres. Washington for requesting other burial plans. I’m not sure I’d want to be buried in such a frequently travelled place but I wonder what his reasons were?
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi interrupted our tour twice and created a buzz each time she walked across the Rotunda. I thought she appeared to enjoy the attention. After the tour, we obtained gallery passes to watch the Senate and House in action.
An interesting note on obtaining such passes; if you are a U.S. citizen you must travel to the office building of your senator or representative to get a pass, requiring a decent walk and considerable amount of time to locate their offices. However, if you are not an American citizen, you are able to get passes from the desk inside the Visitor’s Center. This, in effect, makes it easier for non-citizens to see our government in action than citizens. I understand that this is in place to encourage U.S. citizens to meet their representatives; however, the end result is a little skewed. Luckily, we had a Canadian in our group and quickly obtained passes without the extra walk. Much to our disappointment, the galleries were closed when we arrived.
Influx of tourists
On my group’s return trip from the Capitol, I noticed an influx of tourists arriving for the Inauguration, excitement on their faces to accompany the hundred of Obama hats and buttons each one was wearing. I thought it was funny that after only one week in Washington, I was quick to point out “tourists” who were new to the city, even though I myself was one! Throughout the metro, official signs had begun to spring up, directing passengers in the direction of the “Capitol” and the “Parade Route”.
New Friends
One of the greatest experiences throughout this seminar has been getting to know students from across the country and expanding my horizons as new friendships are built. In my group there are students from South Dakota, Missouri, Kentucky, and Canada. Each one of us has had similar experiences in our lives that have helped shape who we are, but have also had very different experiences due to our regional differences. I’ve enjoyed so much the conversations we’ve had this week; not only on politics, policies and speakers, but on careers, goals, and our futures.
There have been many opportunities to spend time together whether travelling on the metro, walking the streets of downtown D.C., or studying together as we prepare for our seminar. The friends I’ve made will not last forever, but I’ve got some great contacts that I know I’ll see again. We’ll attend the “We Are One” concert together on Sunday, where we’re hoping to see Beyonce and our president-elect. I wonder if they’ll both appear shorter than I imagined. We are all excited that we have a ticket to history!