There was a palpable buzz of excitement last week in and around Coleman Hall and Vaughn Literature Building as most liberal arts professors prepared for a special visitor. He arrived on Feb. 17, humbly sporting a brown winter coat, zipped to the very top (and of course, his signature glasses).

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders stood outside of the Bertrand Library yesterday, asking campus dwellers for their financial support and handing out “Bernie” bumper stickers which read, “Not paid for by corporations” on the backside.

“We cannot win this fight alone,” the presidential candidate pronounced at the beginning of the day, in front of a presumably smaller-than-expected crowd. “And that is why I am once again asking for your financial support.”

Heads of passersby turned to find out what the commotion was about, and after the first hour, Sanders gained quite a significant number of students encircling him, asking him questions and grabbing those bumper stickers. 

Although most of the pivotal points of Sanders’ campaign, such as free health care and free public education, are not at the top of most University students’ list of priorities, Sanders gained the attention and interest of many through his honesty and charming personality.

“My dad would kill me if I voted for Bernie Sanders in the coming primaries,” an anonymous student shared with us. She continued, with a spark in her eye, “But that’s what makes it so enticing!”

Another student recalls U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to campus in 2016 when they “hit golf balls together, but did not discuss much more than that. He wasn’t asking me for money, which, now that I’m thinking about it, seems a bit sketchy.”

By the end of the day, Sanders ended up raising more money at the University than he has at any other school on his campaign trail. He shared his admiration for the Young Democratic Socialists and waved goodbye as a kind student offered to drive him into downtown Lewisburg, where he caught the next bus to a neighboring town.