Georgetown SFS-Q and U.S. Embassy Host Election Gathering

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q) and the U.S. Embassy in Doha hosted a special gathering in the early hours of November 7th at the SFS-Q campus to mark the United States (U.S.) Presidential elections. Keen to watch the final hours of the much debated election race between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, SFS-Q students, faculty, staff and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) guests, gathered with staff from the Embassy from midnight through 9:00 AM on November 7th to witness the final moments of the election campaign as it unfolded live in the United States.

The Embassy staff distributed election year materials including U.S. Electoral College posters, bumper stickers, sample ballots, I-voted stickers, copies of the electronic journal “Youth Votes 2012 U.S. Elections”, election pins, and flags to attendees representing each political party. Ambassador Ziadeh noted: “It is our honor to partner with Georgetown SFS-Q, an institution training the next generation of young leaders in the region, to share in the excitement of the 2012 Presidential Election. In my discussions with the students here this morning, I was impressed by their sophisticated understanding of the American electoral process. Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of our democracy, and it brings us great pride to celebrate in that tradition with the students here this morning.”

Dean Gerd Nonneman, remarked on behalf of SFS-Q, “We are happy we could partner with the American Embassy and Ambassador Ziadeh to make this event such a success. The elections this year will have far-reaching consequences beyond the borders of the United States. To adapt a well-worn phrase: ‘if you’re not interested in global politics, global politics is interested in you’ – so it’s no surprise that so many here at Georgetown and our wider community take such close interest in these elections, in American foreign policy and in Qatar’s involvement in global affairs. This was the perfect opportunity to connect not only the Georgetown community but all of the HBKU partner institutions in an exciting gathering with diplomatic staff from the Embassy.”

Monitoring an event of such landmark importance to the U.S. is an ideal way for Georgetown University in Qatar staff and its students to feel closer to the main Georgetown University campus in Washington, D.C., with SFS-Q serving as a bridge for international relations between communities in the U.S. and the Middle East.

James MacGregor, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, SFS-Q, spoke about the wider significance of the event, noting that “an occasion like this is a great way to create a sense of community between our students and the wider HBKU community, while at the same time providing an ideal learning experience in a fun environment; this is particularly appealing for our students who stay in the dorms, as they can also bring their flat mates who attend other universities. Contemporary events such as this are of interest to our students following international politics and fit into their studies in international affairs.”

Alex Silberman, a Student Development Officer, who helped plan the event and stayed up all night with the groups, commented, “It was a long night for us but everyone was very excited. Since students, staff and our guests were spending this very early morning with us we provided all participants with breakfast to make sure they could transition into their class and work schedule.”

Approximately 50 students from all campuses in HBKU stayed up all night with a dozen faculty and staff form Georgetown and the Embassy joining them. In the early morning at about 6:00 AM, an additional contingent of faculty and staff joined the festivities bringing the total to about 120 people in an atmosphere of collegial election year excitement. The crowd of students and staff cheered rowdily as victories were projected state by state.