By Elijah Boyle

This past Super Bowl Sunday, the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, who were on track to becoming the first team in NFL history to achieve perfection in a 16-game regular season.

And how did University students watch the second-most-watched event in U.S. television history?

“I got my school work out of the way,” said Bill Smith, a sophomore film and TV production major.

At the University, there were many places that students could go to watch the game. The game room in the basement of the student center was open, and students were able to watch on a big-screen television with surround sound.

Adam Wasser, a sophomore media studies major, went to a Super Bowl party that was organized by Hofstra Hillel, a University group for Jewish students. “There were more Patriots fans there than Giants fans,” he said.

He added that he believed that this game was better than Super Bowl XXXVI, during which the Patriots overcame the St. Louis Rams as the Giants did this past Sunday.

Some students decided to stay in their rooms and others even went off campus to see the game. “I went to a friend’s house in Brooklyn to watch the game,” said Jesse Shusman, a freshman music composition major.

For students who are not football fans, there were other events to attend on campus. The University’s department of physics and astronomy held “Stars on Sundays,” which is held on the first Sunday of every month during the academic year. It was open to both University students and to the public.

“About a hundred people showed up, and if the Giants weren’t in the Super Bowl, more people might have come,” said Donald Lubowich, adjunct associate professor who coordinated the event.

People who attended were able to see Mars, the constellation of Orion, the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades cluster. And even though the main purpose was to see the stars, there was still a television present to watch the game.

Whether students were in their rooms watching the game or out and about, most had a good time being with friends. Giants fans were happy that the Super Bowl trophy was finally brought home, and Patriots fans had a broken heart after their near-perfect season ended.

After the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriot’s undefeated season on Sunday evening, New Yorkers celebrated on the streets of lower Manhattan on Tuesday. Fans took pictures using camera phones, digital cameras and camcorders to catch a glimpse of Eli Manning and Michael Strahan. (Jeff Herman)