UMass Amherst feels the Bern, again

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders first visited the flagship campus in January before the Spring semester started. Since then, he has traveled far and wide across the country publicizing his campaign for the Democratic primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and soon-to-be South Carolina.

Ohoto credit to Miguel Angel Paredes

The 2016 Massachusetts presidential primary will be on March 1, along with other states for the nationwide “Super Tuesday” event. Bernie returned to his New England roots to seek support.

Senator Sanders was at the Mullins Center last night, a multi-purpose arena that holds more than 9,000 people. Students and supporters had been lining up since 1pm.

By 4pm, the line stretched back as far as Boyden Gym, eventually reaching Southwest itself. The arena slowly but surely filled up with students and local Berners waiting for the doors to open at 3:30pm, according to the Mullins Center website.

While enjoying lively performances by local groups such as the Hexachords and Lux Deluxe, Bernie supporters waited for his arrival from Boston around 7pm.

Jossie Valentin of the Holyoke City Council introduced the Vermont Senator before his arrival and talked about her support for Sanders as a Latina and openly gay politician.

She said that Sanders “has been on the right side of issues in history for a very long time,” and proceeded to get the crowd involved in a Spanish and English chant before his entrance.

“Remember that we are Bernie’s super PAC,” she said, provoking thunderous applause from the audience.

Senator Sanders talked about issues such as income and wealth inequality, racial justice, medicare, women’s rights, the need for paid family leave, and more. “The people in this country are tired of establishment politics,” he said, referring to the success of his 4-billion dollar campaign funded entirely by small donations.

“Experiencing Bernie and all of his supporters was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.” Said UMass student Rebecca Holdowsky. “Bernie represents every underrepresented person in America, making everyone of all different backgrounds and hardships feel safe and comfortable embracing [him as a candidate] and expressing themselves.”

Rebecca, who has attended multiple Bernie rallies, described the atmosphere as thousands of people “all united by our common devotion to fix this one-sided, broken system, and our compassion to help one another.”

“It’s crystal clear how genuine Bernie is.”

But some students, despite feeling the Bern, expressed concern at his trademark rhetoric.

“His policies are great,” said UMass student Rachel Perry-Gore, “but I am worried about how those policies will be carried out if he were to be elected.”

Another student, Matthew Donin, commented that the Senator “talked about what he’s comfortable speaking on – the economy, women’s rights, business corruption, etc. He didn’t talk about anything related to foreign policy, which is something that leaves voters very uncertain.”

Other students commented that they wished he had touched on gun regulation and the Middle East.

“If you came in a Bernie Sanders fan, you came out one. If you didn’t come in a Bernie sanders fan, you still came out not a fan,” said Matthew.

If you are interested in reading more about Bernie’s issues, check them out here.

#FeeltheBern