Cassius Austin Rovenstine ’10 - This blog was originally to be posted on Friday, but due technical problems during a late-night ride on the Metro, my deadline was missed.  By now, our Washington D.C. immersion trip has been all but wrapped up, with only a Saturday plane ride back to snowy Indiana on today’s agenda.

I was, when I first registered for this class, eager to take the course, but unenthusiastic about the immersion trip.  Spring break is my only opportunity to rest during the spring semester, and I would usually prefer to spend it fishing along the Tippecanoe River, not trekking around the nation’s capitol, talking to lobbyists and politicians.  But the experiences in Washington —the sometimes unpredictable Metro not the least of which—have proven to very enjoyable.

Friday was the most relaxed day of our week long Washington experience, with the first item on our agenda beginning at 1:30 in the afternoon.  This left me plenty of time for a morning walk around town, and a quick reading of the Washington Post.  At 1:30, I met Dr. Hadley and the rest of the class at the Supreme Court, and we were given a tour.  Seeing the actual chairs where Supreme Court Justices hear their cases brings with it the realization that they are in fact regular human beings, and the democracy they protect is more fragile than we sometimes think. 

After the Supreme Court, we were on our own for a few hours, and several of us decided to trudge through the rain and make a visit to one final museum.  We spent an hour or so at the Air and Space museum, then we left for the hotel—where many of us took the opportunity to nap—before dinner.

We attended a very good dinner hosted by Greg Castanias ’87, where we also met with various other Wabash alumni and students in the Washington area.  We were grateful for Mr. Castanias’s hospitality and the time that he and all of the other alumni afforded us for the evening.

The immersion trip turned out to be a worthwhile experience, and it has greatly enhanced my understanding of Congress and the Presidency.  It was a fast-paced spring break, to be sure, but invaluably educational.  I’m glad that I took it.  There will be plenty of time for fishing in May.

First Picture: Greg Castanias thanking everyone for coming

Second Picture: Every mingling on the first floor.