The Inauguration of President Biden has sparked optimism among many MSMS students.

“I hope to see the new presidency keep its campaign promises,” said senior Aaron Wan. “I think specifically, I hope to see them keep their promises in terms of criminal justice reform, increasing green energy investment, implementing a Medicare public option, and expanding free college.”

Some students described their hopes for an end to the bickering and strife of recent months. 

“I am really hoping that the new year is less chaotic than 2020,” said junior Madeline Raynor. “I really want to be able to relax for a minute, if that makes sense. I’m tired of waking up to news headlines saying another bad thing has happened in our country.”

“What I expect from Biden is a safe president that won’t generally provoke extremists on either side of political lines,” said junior Raeed Kabir. “I hope that the polarized bipartisan political system will be remedied by Biden being a rational non-extreme Democrat in power.”

Similarly, some students are hoping for a fresh start in the form of new attitudes and a new perspective towards political and socio-economic issues in America.

“I really hope that there will be a new vibe in America when Biden takes over the position of presidency,” said junior Kareena Patel. “I hope that Biden can help America restore faith in itself. I think that after a year of disarray in the country, people need the perspective of someone new to lead our country in a whole new direction toward peace.”

Many students feel that there need to be measures taken, at least within the new year, to correct situations from the last term that they didn’t feel were handled right.

“Most immediately, I think we need to see some damage control,” said junior Stephanie Ressel. “So much has happened from the last presidency, and I think the most important thing right now is to correct everything that really went wrong. Things that were handled wrong need to be controlled as soon as possible to prevent worsening situations for Americans.”

Junior Zoe Damessous feels similarly, hoping specifically for reforms in COVID-19 relief. One of the first actions President Biden has taken is a “100 Days Masking Challenge,” which is intended to encourage Americans through an example made by those in high political power to wear masks and help protect their fellow citizens.

“I really hope that the situation with the virus will be handled so much better by President Biden, and I think that it will be,” said Damessous. “Considering that President Biden takes the current pandemic much more seriously than President Trump did, I think the situation is likely to be handled better. I hope that he takes the actions required to bring the country back to some sense of normalcy.”

Another one of the first things President Biden has done is reverse the transgender military bans put in place by President Trump. Since then, new hope has been restored to many students hoping for more rights and opportunities for members of the LGBT community.

“I think one of the things a lot of people, including myself, are hoping to see is better opportunities for LGBT Americans,” said junior Regan Caroll. “I think the voices of these people have been ignored for entirely too long.”

Looking toward the next few years, Raynor said: “I am really hopeful for not only the next couple of years,” said Raynor. “But for the relief I think President Biden will be able to bring us in the new year. I think the transfer of power to someone new was a healthy step in our country, and I am optimistic about the direction of reform he will take us in.”