Anxiety tempered with joy marked the mood Tuesday morning at the Vanderbilt Black Cultural Center's Inauguration viewing party. As students and faculty of different backgrounds applauded the 44th President, standing for his Oath and for the National Anthem, an acute sense of patriotism and pride was palpable.

And in the discussion that followed, one complicated sentiment made it's way repeatedly into the dialogue - it's over, we did it, but the struggle has only begun.

"I just wanted to get through today," said junior Ashley Oliver. "I woke up this morning thinking he could still be taken away from us. Now that it's over, I'm relieved, but he has a lot to prove."

Throughout the discussion, moderated by Black Student Association officers Courtney Williams and Stephanie Harris, similar concerns emerged. From racial equality to economic freedom, the stakes are high, students said.

"I'm excited but slightly nervous today," senior Breone Airall said. "Now that the election is over, there will be incredible pressure on President Barack Obama to fix so many problems. As the first black president, people will be incredibly critical."

But other students were more hopeful than nervous. "I'm excited and I know great changes will come," said Williams.

For other students, though, the significance of the day's events was more about the past than the future.

"On a personal level, because I am an African-American and someone coming from Chicago, there is a lot of pride," said first-year student Ekua Davis. "It is historic, unbelievable. It also says to me that for African-Americans, there are no more excuses."

"Two years ago, I would not have believed this was possible," she said.

At least three participants commented on the unusual level of pride they felt in their country. Many noted they had not felt a sense of patriotism for years.

She was not alone, either. "Today was the first time I've felt like I could believe in the Pledge of Allegiance," said senior Hamida Labi. "It's a day of solemnity but also a day to celebrate. There is just a lot of pride in my heart today."

"There is a poem by Langston Hughes, a poet that has come up a great deal in this election, that says a little black child couldn't be president," said Dr. Frank E. Dobson, Jr., director of the BCC. "No little black child will ever be able to say that poem again. This is a historic day."

Making the mood even more poignant was the knowledge that Vanderbilt had come a long way since it's past of discrimination and segregation, too. This spring, Vanderbilt will celebrate 52 years of desegregation.

"I feel a connection to Obama, as do a lot of students here I think, because just like Obama, we have beaten the odds in way," Williams said. "We are at Vanderbilt when in the past society would have told us we couldn't have made it."