On the day of the first public hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry, students at Quinnipiac University in Hamden watched on a giant projector screen in the student center.
Junior Samantha Murdock, president of the Quinnipiac Political Science Association, said she is invested in impeachment coverage -- so much so that she caught a little of it on her computer before happening upon the projector in the student center’s piazza.
“I may have been streaming it on my laptop during class just to pay attention to what was going on, switching through my tabs,” Murdock said.
Murdock, lounging in a leather chair with her feet up and her eyes fixed on the screen, was one of about a dozen students in the room. She said the impeachment inquiry is incredibly important.
“I think that holding the president responsible for his alleged actions and crimes is something that everyone should pay attention to -- regardless of what your political opinion is --- because if he has committed a crime, then that’s something that every American should pay attention to.”
Gina DiVito, president of Quinnipiac University Democrats, was sitting next to Murdock. She believes that students at the university interested in the impeachment inquiry tend to be involved in politics -- not necessarily the general student population.
“People are aware that it’s happening, but they’re not aware of the gravity of the situation. I think that the idea of having this in the student center, maybe people will start to pay attention and understand that this is serious.”
Margret Ojo normally sits elsewhere at the student center on Wednesdays after her finance class, but that area was crowded. So when she saw the hearings on the projector, she thought she could watch while she did some homework.
“Honestly, I’m doing work more because I don’t know what part I came in at and some of it -- I’m not sure,” Ojo said. “I feel like I should watch from the beginning to understand what’s going on.”
The hearing continues Friday. Those not watching from Quinnipiac’s piazza can follow along with Connecticut Public Radio, and Connecticut Public Television.
