By: Erin Smith

1/20/2020

Looking back on the past 10 days in Iowa, it is hard to believe we were only there for that short period of time. I had some reservations going into this trip because I had no idea what to expect. However, as we pulled out of the hotel this morning I was truly sad to be leaving the fast-paced and unpredictable environment of Iowa during the days leading up to the caucus. I will miss randomly running into candidates in the hotel lobby and having the opportunity to strike up conversations with people like the former VA Governor Terry McAulliffe or the President of CNN Jeff Zucker. Each day it seemed like I was meeting someone I usually only get to see on TV and never imagined I would actually be able to speak with them. 

For my last day of volunteering in Iowa, I worked a town hall event for Senator Warren at Weeks Middle School in Des Moines. It was a long morning of signing in guests and learning about the organization that is required for this type of event. I almost did not make it to the town hall because I had gotten sick the night before, but I woke up that morning and knew I had to pull it together to make sure I got the most of my short time in Iowa. The town hall was a great way for me to wrap up the trip and get one last picture (and a HUG) with my favorite candidate.

Even though I will miss the exciting rallies, events, and volunteer days all around Iowa,  I am happy to be back at Elon where I can apply all that I learned about politics, the media, and myself in Iowa. I feel like the third Global Engagement Learning goal, “Examine your responsibilities as an active global citizen informed by multiple perspectives,” applies best to my time in Iowa. Being in Iowa during this time gave me the chance to talk with dozens of Iowans from all different backgrounds with different opinions, which helped me understand what issues are important to them. Although I may not have left the country for J-term, I was still able to receive various perspectives on politics and the problems facing our country. This trip helped me realize the extent to which I am passionate about politics and how I can further my efforts to become an active global citizen.

By: Hana Hofeld

As I sit on our last flight back to Elon, I am feeling a bundle of mixed emotions. I am happy to be coming back because I get to sleep in my own bed and I’ll be back to a regular routine. I am sad because these past 10 days in Iowa have been an absolute incredible once in a lifetime experience. I have learned so much about the caucus process, the candidates, and from my very intelligent peers. I was waiting for this trip before I formed an opinion on which Democratic candidate I would be supporting in 2020. I now realize the importance and the difference it makes to see candidates in person before one decides if they like them or not. 

In Iowa we got to see about 10 candidates live and in person. Seeing candidates in person is such a different experience than just watching them on TV. Authenticity is something we talked about a lot on this trip. A candidate in person often acts differently than they do on TV. I said this in an earlier blog post but Elizabeth Warren wins the authenticity award in my opinion. She radiates passion and has a ton of energy when she is speaking. We got to see her three times and everytime, even during the debate, she was the exact same. Andrew Yang is another candidate who I thought was authentically himself. It is very unlikely that he will win but Yang was funny and honest in his humor. I found a lot of his ideas very logical. Sanders and Biden on the other hand were people that I thought were authentic in their own way but not exactly an entertaining authentic. I found Bernie a good speaker but the way he spoke was angry and he used the same tone the whole time. For the very short time that Biden spoke, there was nothing that I thought he said that was or any interest or importance to why he should be the next president. I was definitely disappointed with the VP.  

These past 12 days in Iowa offered me an experience that I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else. It reinforced the importance and the scariness of this election and the current time that we are living in. I feel a moral responsibility and obligation to my community and peers to talk about this experience and to make sure that everyone I know votes. I feel so grateful to go to a university that offers such a unique and life changing trip.

By: Victoria Egan

As I sit here in the Des Moines airport among my classmates, who were strangers to me 12 days ago but are now such close friends, I can’t help but reflect upon my incredible time here in Iowa. This truly has been the trip of a lifetime. When we arrived, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I would get to see some of the presidential candidates, attend some rallies, and would be knocking on some doors for Pete Buttigieg. However, I never expected the extent to which I would get to see the candidates and the impact all of this would have on me. 

Over my time here I have had the opportunity to meet 12 presidential candidates, some of whom I have met several times. The first time I saw these candidates I was starstruck. However, by my second time seeing candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, it felt normal. I was not devastated that I was not able to get a picture with Joe Biden because I had already taken a picture with him. To me, this was a crazy moment. I felt like I had become an Iowan and these candidates have just become regular people to me. Seeing them has truly humanized them for me and given me a whole new perspective on who each of these candidates are. I have also had the opportunity to meet with some incredible individuals including top CNN officials Wolf Blitzer, Sam Feist, and Ken Litwin, 2020 Campaign Embed for NBC Gary Grumbach, NBC correspondent Morgan Radford, and actress Mandy Moore. All of whom I had the honor of speaking to for an extended period of time, not a quick hello and picture. 

It has truly been an emotional time and we have had some incredibly deep and valuable conversations as a class. One of the biggest lessons I have learned on this trip is that everyone has their own opinion and is entitled to their opinion. While at first I felt personally attacked when others were harshly critiquing the candidate I support, I began to realize that there are so many people in the world that all have different views. Everyone is never going to completely agree with one another and that is perfectly okay. Listening to the views of others is extremely valuable in understanding our society. Often today, people are completely close-minded and refuse to hear what others have to say. However, this class has truly opened my eyes to other viewpoints and shown me the importance of having these difficult and sometimes uncomfortable conversations. 

I have seen 12 presidential candidates, worked on a presidential campaign, met top journalists, attended the smallest CNN Democratic Presidential Debate, taken a selfie with Joe Biden (and have it air live on CNN),  talked one on one with the candidate who I support and have worked for during my time in Iowa (and have this conversation displayed on national television), and made friends with incredible people who I may have never met otherwise. This class has completely strengthened and increased my passion for American politics and government. It has proven to me that I am 100% studying the right things at Elon. I am incredibly grateful to my parents for enabling me to attend Elon University, for this is an experience I could not have gotten anywhere else. I am grateful to Elon University for providing us with this class and want to give a huge thank you to my professors Mark Dalhouse and Rich Landesberg for putting together such an incredible trip and providing us with memories we will all treasure for the rest of our lives. 

By Callista DeGraw

Well, it’s official. Our time in Iowa has come to an end. I’ve seen almost every candidate that has come through the greater Des Moines area, some even more than once, and heard every stump speech they’ve had to give. I have a greater understanding of the everyday Iowan’s casual and nearly-blasé attitude toward candidates being present constantly—yesterday I was in the same room as six of them and didn’t even bat an eye. It’s easy to forget that the majority of voters in the country won’t ever come close to being near a prospective president when they’re just around the corner at every second of every day. 

Many of the conversations I had with voters about their rarely-star-struck attitudes led to stories about which candidates have been in whose living rooms or how caucusing “just isn’t a big deal.” However, some conversations were particularly positive, and several people here expressed that visitors like myself and my classmates serve as a good reminder that there really is nothing like the Iowa caucus experience and teaches them not to take their first in the nation status for granted. I know I won’t ever take for granted the once in a lifetime opportunities I’ve been given here—ones I know so many in America can only dream of. 

I think one of the most special aspects of this “Iowa attitude” is that its casual approach ultimately boils down to the fact that the people who live here get to experience the candidates as real people and not just figures on a TV. After meeting several candidates, I know I really am struck by how human they are. They are people who, when given even the smallest amounts of free time, are found eating lunch in leggings and a sweatshirt with their spouses or walking down the snowy streets of Des Moines on a Friday night. 

As I reflect on the last twelve days, I feel as though we’ve been here for so much longer, probably because we packed a month’s worth of events into under two weeks. Today, I fly back to the significantly-warmer state of North Carolina with a much stronger appreciation for Iowa, the candidates, and the democratic process.

By: Baylor Rodman

As we begin to wind down this trip and pack up top to head back to Elon, one thing that has truly stuck out is all of the connections I have been able to make within the past two weeks. First and foremost, the relationships with my peers has grown exponentially. We have all worked in the same newsroom back at home, and we all knew each other, but working so closely as a collective group for so long opened new doors, created new true friendships and created lasting memories. We even plan to return to Des Moines in four years for a little reunion.

As far as connections go, the best part about it was as the CNN Democratic Debate was being held at Drake University in Des Moines, out hotel basically became the hub for all of American Media. This allowed us to meet high executives and staffers who’s jobs are ones we all strive for. It was just as amazing though to meet all the network campaign imbeds and form relationships with them. Not only were they helpful during the times where it was clear we were the fish out of water, in clear confusion at some points, but they also entertained our true excitement just to be in the room with them and cover the story.

What we found early on is if we wanted a candidate to answer our question, shout “student media” and they’ll come flocking. Why? Because they need audience’s vote in order to win. Every time we told them we were from Elon University in North Carolina, they knew what we were capable of. They knew our institution, our student’s work ethic, and the values of our community within the blink of an eye. Now that’s pretty amazing. From a guy who lives and breathes Elon and even works in Admissions as a University Ambassador, I have never been more proud to wear maroon and gold.

By Maria Ramirez Uribe

As our last event comes to a close, it’s crazy to think how far we’ve come in terms of covering candidates. I remember our first day when our journalism group split up covering Cory Booker and Marianne Williamson and Bill Weld. I had never before covered that style of event or covered a presidential candidate.

Our workflow wasn’t the smoothest, as we were just getting to know each other and our strengths and weaknesses. Our articles’ angles weren’t serving our public to the best of our ability as we were focusing on general coverage as opposed to covering the candidates with college students in our minds. 

As the trip went on, however, we got more comfortable with each other and with covering candidates at their events. 

During our last event, a town hall hosted by Common Cause, we had the opportunity of covering six candidates over the course of three hours. This was not a type of event we had covered before and I was incredibly proud of our team and the way we handled this new challenge.

As soon as we arrived at the venue, our team split up into small groups to cover different parts of the event. Two teams went out to get interviews from the audience and the conference leaders while the other teams took stills and set up our main camera. 

During the event, we had a live blog being updated as each candidate spoke. Because of this, we had one person taking notes and one person updating the blog as each candidate took the stage. This method was incredibly effective and efficient and allowed us to be the first to cover the event.

Not only did we have a written portion, but we were constantly cutting and uploading videos of the candidates’ speeches in order to add multimedia elements to the live updates. 

This form of covering the event was possible because we all knew our roles and were able to use our individual strengths to benefit the team. 

I’m really glad this event was our last one and I think we were able to prove to ourselves how much we’ve grown and learned in such a short time.

By Jon Sarver Jr.

The last 10 days have been a total blur; running all over the state, taking pictures, talking to candidates and voters and writing articles. Before I realized what was happening, I found myself packing for tomorrow’s flight back to North Carolina. Looking back on today, I thought it was fitting we ended the trip the way we did. Elon News Network spent the afternoon at a forum with a whopping six candidates in attendance (two via video call). In a way, this afternoon was a rapid recap of the whole trip. 

I found myself taking photos once again at the final event of the Iowa trip. On a normal day, everyone would do the normal procedure at an event (note taking, filming, photography, and interviewing). After the event, we would head back to the hotel to edit and write for the ENN website. The only difference this time was that I was constantly taking photos of all the candidates (Warren, Yang, Klobuchar, and Delaney), and then running back to publish my photos to help with the live blog. Everyone was working at a much faster pace in order to get the content on the ENN website in real time. It was incredible to watch everyone work so hard on the final day. 

I want to wrap up this blog with a final word about the trip and the experience that me and my fellow journalism classmates got on this trip. While ENN provides amazing experience in reporting for students on Elon’s campus, being on the ground in Iowa and covering the candidates was an incredibly unique opportunity. Everyone in the journalism group did a fantastic job, and I am ecstatic that I was able to participate in this experience.

By: Andrea Sheetz

The current scene as I write this post is eerily similar to what it looked like as I wrote the first one. I’m sitting in the same standard hotel room with a packed suitcase (less than 50 pounds is TBD) in the corner. After we depart tomorrow, not much will change from when our class was here in Des Moines or before. Candidates will still come to town, caucus preparations will still be under way, Alicia at the breakfast buffet will still make omelets, and we will all return to Elon and the various commitments with which our days were previously filled. 

            However, what happened during our visit has left an undeniable mark on me, the full extent of which I am probably unaware. Most apparently, I have even more respect for the simple elements of our democracy. I, and I suspect many other people, get caught up in the complexity of the big picture of our nation’s politics. But the national headlines and top story on Tuesday, February 4^th will be the result of everyday people gathering in elementary school gyms, public libraries, bars (yes, bars can serve as caucus locations), and fire stations, similar to those you and I have in our communities. They will assemble to support someone who has gotten to know their state over many months. And if their group is not 15% of the total, they must listen to their neighbors and think critically about which candidate to realign with. The Iowa Caucus makes national and international news by bringing people together to discuss and voice their opinion on the future they want for our country. Not to minimize the process, but this idea should not be so uncommon. 

            One conversation that has been held over the last few meals is how hard it is going to be to come back to Elon, where the caucus is quite literally not the talk of the town. This trip has been greater than I could imagine. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities Elon has provided so that I could have had the conversations I did, seen everything I saw, and learned all that I have. But to be completely honest, I am really ready to not keep up with every news alert or be inundated with politics 18 hours a day. The fatigue that this immersive study has brought reaffirms my decision not to study political science or policy.

            One thing Iowa taught me is the necessity of balance. We need a middle level of involvement and knowledge, which I believe is becoming rare. To know what is going on and to have an opinion should not be a notable trait of someone and sharing these thoughts should not result in being labeled a ‘political person.’ Nobody should feel like they have to spend hours reading the news and volunteering for candidates to be qualified to have an opinion. But there is no reason for ignorance of current events or apathy to the privilege of participating in democracy. 

At one event, I met a woman who sees every candidate multiple times before deciding on for whom she should caucus. Three hours earlier, I called an elementary school where the secretary asked if I was working on “that caucus thing.” Frankly I don’t completely blame the latter. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and avoid hearing stories that may create discomfort and stay inside instead of attending events or caucusing. But our collective future depends on the buildup of small, yet sometimes hard, actions that make us active citizens.