“Bowling for Pennsylvania,” a story by Gaiutra Bahadur, was featured as the cover story of the May 5 edition of The Nation. Bahadur is a member of the Class of 2008.

“Do people in checkerboard communities turn inward and away from one another, and does that make them more susceptible to campaigning that plays on racial and ethnic divisions?” she asks, referring to Barack Obama’s chances in Pennsylvania, and perhaps against John McCain.