While the Republican presidential primary debate sparked excitement on the Boca campus, the viewing party on the Davie campus resembled something like a ghost town.
At 9 p.m., viewing party caterer Owl Productions cracked open a Publix platter of half-frozen chicken wraps and potato chips. Meanwhile, 20 students huddled in front of a lone flat-screen TV to watch the MSNBC live broadcast.
Others parked in front of the television only long enough to take advantage of the free chips and finger foods. Most quietly devoured their wrap, then either promptly returned to class or left campus.
“I wish I was in Boca right now,” said multimedia studies junior Matt Schectman, peering around the near-abandoned viewing party. Schectman finished his Davie class after the debate started and by 10 p.m., he and 21-year-old friend Michael Chambers were the only two students remaining in the Student Activities Center.
“I was thinking about heading to the Boca campus and watching it in person, but I forgot about it,” said Chambers.
Within half an hour, the food was long gone and the crowd shrank to just nine people. Throughout the viewing party, there wasn’t any cheering or shouting at the television. There weren’t any students wearing T-shirts promoting their favorite candidates. Other than Chambers and Schectman, only two Student Government representatives running the event stayed behind as the debates reached the halfway point.
“A lot of students are trying to make it to Boca to see the candidates,” said Ingrid Hillery, the SG Davie director of Owl Productions. “[The watch party] was just to give the students who have class a little something if they can’t make it to Boca.”
Hillery, along with Davie Speaker of the House Roberta Shepherd, started packing up the room before the debates even ended.
“The Republicans are just making speeches,” Hillery said, glancing at the television.
“There would have been a bigger turnout anyway if the Democrats were debating,” she added. “The Democrats really get into the debates – you have to watch what you say or they’ll eat you alive.”
