By Meghan McCloskey and Samuel Rubenfeld
Students who got a ticket to the debate found out via e-mail late Tuesday evening and through the day Wednesday, and those who did had the time of their lives.
More than 6,800 students applied for a chance to get into the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibtion Complex, where Barack Obama and John McCain debated economic and domestic policy Wednesday night. Only about 400 made it through the two lotteries held.
Sandra Johnson, vice president of Student Affairs, said the number of tickets issued still wasn’t available after the debate.
Students who did not win tickets had an assortment of activities to engage in. NBC News and MSNBC placed their studio between the Student Center and Alliance Hall to maximize student interaction, most notably including Chris Matthews’ political talk show “Hardball,” which drew hundreds of students and others holding large signs supporting one cause or another. The College Democrats and College Republicans battled over media visibility throughout debate day.
In one parking lot, buses from C-SPAN, CNN, BBC and VoteSmart all had displays showing their work during the campaign season. Students engaged in their own personal activism, advocating anything from legalization of marijuana to boycotting voting altogether.
Three students played acoustic music near the Student Center, attracting a large crowd, including ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne, who requested they play a song about football players losing their helmets for a regular segment called “The Mayne Event.” Mayne left the students $25 in their guitar case, which had a piece of paper in it saying they were “playing for change we could use.” Mayne later said the segment will be a fake news piece about how the presidential candidates are not discussing the football helmets.
Progressive Students Union held multiple protests throught the week leading up to the debate, including on debate day. (Please see page D2.)
Those who attended the debate said they had an experience they’d never forget.
“To actually see their facial expressions in person was intense. It made the [candidates] more personable and reasonable,” said Joshua Sankowski, a senior political science major.
Asked who he thought won, Sankowski said McCain. “Even though he was a little slow, he made his points. Obama was eloquent but he tends to mix ideas,” he said.
Eryka Sajek, a junior who is a member of PSU, said Obama won but she was still disturbed by Obama’s support of school vouchers. Giving money to charter schools “doesn’t fix any problems,” she said.
Junior Ashley Kowal said being in the Arena “felt surreal.”
“You couldn’t believe that it was actually happening,” she said. “I couldn’t stop smiling.”
(Rondolf Moreno)