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Chancellor Robert Coombe called for students to be an active part of the presidential debate at a logo- and countdown-clock unveiling event at the Sidelines Pub yesterday.
To a crowd of approximately 200 people, with approximately 50 more lined up outside in a queue that stretched from the entrance to the Pub all the way outside the Driscoll North doors, Coombe said it’s important for DU students to recognize the importance of the debate.
“Thousands and thousands will be here in Denver, but millions will be watching it on television,” said Coombe.
USG president Sam Gerk also spoke and unveiled the countdown clock, a website page which shows days, hours, minutes and seconds until the presidential debate arrives, after a slight five-minute delay due to an equipment malfunction. Numerous televisions around campus depict the clock, as well as a projection on the wall inside the Pub.
Gerk said this debate is DU’s opportunity to teach younger students about their place in the political realm.
“For many undergraduate students, this is the first time voting,” he said. “This will be a great opportunity to be a part of history.”
Nick Bowlby, Graduate Student Association Council president, also said the debate will provide DU students with the ability to participate in politics.
“This will be a catalyst for life-long political engagement,” said Bowlby. “We can make a difference. This is our opportunity.”
Bowlby also said focus groups were brought in to test the potential logos to be used for the debate.
“The question they had in mind is, ‘What do students identify most with, with the University of Denver?'” he said, adding that since most people associate DU with the mountains, the mountains were included as the background of the logo.
The logo was displayed on two large poster boards in the pub. The Denver Elections Division, a government organization that works to encourage and track voting habits, handed out magnets, pins and stickers featuring the logo, as well as American flags and voter-registration cards to DU students.
“We are a battleground state,” said Peter Hanson, an assistant professor in the political science department who also spoke at the event. “Colorado is up for grabs.”
Olivia Hails, USG vice president, attended to the sign-in table, which allowed students to check in and acquire a raffle slot for one of the 150-200 tickets that will be made available to students for the debate. For each debate-related event students attend and sign in for, they earn a raffle drawing slot for the tickets. Students must provide their first and last name and DU identification number. This was the first event students were able to gain a raffle drawing. According to Hails, over 300 students signed their name to yesterday’s kick-off event.
“This will draw the leadership of both parties” on a national and local level, said Coombe. “Make sure you engage in this process.”
