Much like the Y2K scare of nearly a decade ago, despite the hype of Inauguration 2009, we have survived mostly unscathed. For GW, the inauguration boiled down to security, the parade float and the GW Inaugural Ball – success on two out of three of these isn’t that bad.
Given that the GW administration had no way of knowing exactly what to prepare for, inaugural weekend went surprisingly smoothly. The added security in the residence halls was effective without being over the top. The crowds streaming down 23rd Street were well-managed, and crucial GW employees mostly made it to work on time. Simply put, nobody was trampled and nothing went horribly wrong.
After everyone was done freezing on the Mall or along the parade route, GW’s Inaugural Ball turned into the unifying force that last semester’s Unity Ball failed to become. Not only students but also professors, parents, administrators and alumni made their way to Adams Morgan Tuesday night. Part of this success was because after tickets sold out on election night, the University wisely ran with something that students got excited about and worked to let an extra 1,200 people take part.
The actual event also ran without any major hitches. The hotel, the music, the food and the wide variety of atmospheres were mostly a hit. Apart from the lack of cell phone service, people found relatively little to complain about. And for GW students, that’s really saying something.
Sadly, the same can’t be said for the GW inaugural parade float. While it was a good idea to be the only school with a float in the parade, in practice the end result was rather anticlimactic.
A big part of the float’s initial appeal was the chance for 15 seconds of fame as major networks broadcast the parade. While Fox News Channel did briefly show the float, as did some local stations, neither CNN nor MSNBC covered it at all. Also a delayed start to the parade left many of the bleachers empty by the time GW arrived at the White House, though thankfully President Barack Obama was still around to salute George.
Press coverage may have been beyond GW’s control, but the float design was not. The design has been called everything from messy to downright bizarre. It included many elements that were meant to represent different aspects of GW. However, the hodgepodge result was confusing not only for people unfamiliar with GW, but it also left students scratching their heads. To top it all of, the floating globe, which was a highlight of the float, was not even able to be used.
Whether it was a lack of student design submissions or a poor selection process at fault, a simpler, more unified presentation would have been more effective.
But two out of three isn’t bad. Sure, it would have been great if the float could have been less confusing, but overall the University did a good job both in putting together a successful and popular event and in preparing for the unexpected.
