The Debate: Who’ll be in the debate hall
Published 11:24 am Thursday, September 29, 2016
Direct viewing of the U.S. Vice Presidential Debate inside Longwood University’s Willett Hall on Tuesday night is restricted to a select few, with most of any additional seating going to students.
According to Justin Pope, chief of staff to Longwood President W. Taylor Reveley IV, the number of tickets Longwood will receive from the Commission on Presidential Debates is still unknown. He said the university has been told it will not know until a couple days before the debate.
According to Longwood’s debate website, the number of tickets provided is likely to be small. At this point, only a handful of tickets have been awarded, Pope said. He said two tickets were given out at the school’s annual Convocation Ceremony, as well as a couple as a part of a “Campus Cab” promotion.
Longwood student Boran Ouch confirmed he was one of the “lucky seniors” to receive a convocation program with a golden star on it, making him one of the first to receive a ticket.
“It was funny because my friends pointed it out and I, honestly, did not think anything of it,” Ouch said. “Then, when President Reveley made the announcement, I was so surprised.”
Ouch said he has become increasingly excited about the debate, mostly because of the changes to the campus.
“I, honestly, do not know what to expect it to be like on October 4th, but I am glad to be a part of the history being made at Longwood University,” he said. “Longwood is getting a lot of exposure across the nation and, because of that, I hope to see the university experience tremendous growth in the future.”
Pope said virtually all the other tickets will be awarded at the lottery during a “VP Jubilee” kickoff slated for 8 p.m. on Sunday the campus’ Stubbs Mall. Currently, students are being encouraged to enter their names into the ticket lottery. The school is accepting entries until midnight Saturday.
The jubilee kickoff will also include a concert by the pop duo MKTO.