TU students experience Washington D.C.

A large donation last semester enabled 38 TU students to visit D.C. and witness the 2025 Presidential Inauguration.

The Kendall College of Arts and Sciences received a generous estate donation last semester from long-term donor and former editor of the “Tulsa Tribune,” Jenk Jones. This donation allowed 38 History and Political Science students to explore the capital and be present for the 2025 Presidential Inauguration. Foreseeing the unpredictability and unprecedented nature of the 2024 general election well before Nov. 6, this donation’s express aim was to send students to witness the historical 2025 Inauguration, regardless of which way the election fell. The Kendall College of Arts and Sciences, no doubt in a nod to Jones’ legacy, elected to send 38 Political Science and History majors to not only visit Washington D.C. but to witness the large-scale socio-political and historical transformations of the nation from the capital itself.

The five-day trip lasted from Friday, Jan. 17 through the first day of the semester, Tuesday, Jan. 21, ensuring students were present for the Inauguration. Throughout the trip, the group of students visited several Smithsonians lining the National Mall including the United States Holocaust Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian. Along with these Smithsonians, students enjoyed a curated tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture while in the city. The group also was able to visit several notorious national monuments including the Washington, Lincoln and Vietnam memorials.

In addition to these activities, many students broke off from the larger group to visit other monuments and to go to other events. A couple of such smaller groups attended the National People’s March taking place Saturday Jan. 18, only two days before the second inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The 2025 People’s March on Washington was a political rally orchestrated by a variety of civil rights organizations and nonprofits including the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood and the National Women’s Law Center, rallying for various causes contrary to President Trump’s political agenda. People from all over the nation gathered to march on Washington with their various causes, carrying signs, some that addressed domestic struggles regarding reproductive rights and racial justice, while others criticized U.S. foreign policy, particularly America’s extensive funding of Israeli military operations in civilian centers like Gaza and the West Bank.

Unfortunately, due to President Donald Trump’s decision to move the inauguration from the West Front of the U.S. Capitol to the inside of the Capitol Rotunda, the amount of people allowed to attend the inauguration was drastically reduced, and students were unable to attend the event in person. Despite this fact, many students elected to stream the Inauguration from all over Washington D.C. While some students streamed it from their hotels, others felt a more appropriate setting was the National Zoo and viewed the Inauguration from there.

Additionally, a large group of students chose to brave the cold and stream the Inauguration from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a site of massive historical and political authority. Political Science student Scarlett Gutierrez was one of the few who chose to view the Presidential Inauguration in this manner and reflected on her experience stating that “Despite the political differences, everyone there braved the cold out of love for our political system and democratic values. This shared moment created a sense of unity and excitement on the steps.” Despite the marked political distinctions between students on the trip, the city itself seemed to hold a certain sentimentality for everyone. Whether it was gathering on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, as so many Americans have done before, to protest or to celebrate, the trip was truly able to highlight the melting pot that is the American Experiment.

Post Author: Katelyn Wiehe