Barrios, himself a former Harvard College Democrat, expressed surprise at the Dems’ top-notch manual camera.

“In my day, the Harvard Dems had no budget,” he remarked.

Another member of the Massachusetts Senate, running up the staircase past the group, shouted a piece of advice: “Don’t do drugs!”

John T.T. Dey ’08 said it was an opportunity for him to “put a face to” the legislators behind the social issues that have thrust Massachusetts into the spotlight.

“It was interesting to hear what the legislators themselves think about it,” Dey said, referring to the group’s discussion on gay marriage, in which Barrios gave a personal account of his marriage to his partner last November in the First Church in Harvard Square.

Sarah T. Selim ’07 said she was impressed to find how accessible the legislators were, urging other students to give them a call.

“It was a de-mystifying experience,” she said.

Indeed, the College Dems group showed no hesitation in expressing their political leanings, in line with 34 of the 40 state senators in a state long known for its predominantly Democratic representation.

When a fire alarm went off, interrupting the discussion, and the building had to be evacuated, one student quipped, “It’s those Republicans!”

—Staff writer Victoria Kim can be reached at vkim@fas.harvard.edu.