My husband, Derick Perry, and I both advise sophomores: he, boys, and I, girls.  We invited the whole lot of them, 10 total, to our home last night for pizza and election return viewing.  They arrived around 5:30, squeezing together on the couch, sharing chairs, and even sprawling out on the floor in our living room, all eyes fixed on the big screen (my husband’s pride and joy).  This was the first election many of them had followed closely; so, there was a lot of discussion about the electoral college process, the prediction hype, and questions about the terminology the pundits tossed about throughout the night.

Post-pizza, a number of them hurried back to their dorms to pick up their books so they could study at our house to witness the declaration of the winner.  And, remarkably, study they did.  Between polling booth closing times, they buried their heads in their chemistry texts, whispered together as they worked through math problems, and tossed ideas back and forth about possible English essay topics.  But, whenever any results came in, their heads snapped up, eyes focused on the screen, their minds calculating the projected number of electoral college votes accrued per candidate.  Amazingly non-partisan, they commented about both candidates, never showing their personal biases nor disparaging the candidate they did not favor.  Once the presidential race came to a close, they began investigating the successes and failures of propositions. Clearly, because they’re adolescents, they focused on the hottest topics: the legalization of marijuana and same sex marriage; however, they also discussed the benefits of increased funding for schools and the necessity for regulation of genetically modified food.

As the evening drew to a close, they packed up their books and headed back to their dorms.  Derick and I moved the furniture back into place, reliving the discussion and delighting in the level of discourse of our group. Such a pleasant evening.  Too bad elections only come around every four years!