University to host 2008 Vice Presidential Debate

Washington University will once again take its place on the national political stage as the host of the 2008 vice presidential debate on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. CST.

The University's selection was announced by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) on Monday afternoon and by a press conference held in the Athletic Complex.

"We are delighted to have been selected for an unprecedented fifth time to be a host site for one of the debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates," said Chancellor Mark Wrighton. "It is a privilege to play an important role in the American electoral process and to be chosen from among 19 applicants to be one of the hosts."

Wrighton went on to say that the debates were "one of the great traditions of Washington University" and stressed that the University was hosting the only Vice Presidential debate of the upcoming election cycle.

This is the fifth consecutive time that the University has been selected as a host for a debate and the fourth debate that will occur. Notably, this is the first time that the University will host a vice presidential debate instead of a presidential debate.

Following the 2004 debate, Wrighton stated that the University would not apply for future debates citing the cost and other factors; after taking into consideration comments from the community, however, Wrighton decided to apply.

"After listening to students, faculty and members of our community, I concluded that it meant a great deal to our region and our University to have the opportunity to become involved in hosting the presidential debate," said Wrighton. "Being selected five times in a row is very unusual, of course, and we feel that the Commission on Presidential Debates obviously has confidence in us and we well it is a responsibility to step forward in this public service.

The University is responsible for the cost of all added security, hotel rooms, construction related to the event, and transportation; in 2004, that amounted to almost $500,000. In addition, the University will pay $1.35 million to the CPD, almost twice the 2004 fee.

According to Wrighton, part of this cost will be offset by sponsorship opportunities for local companies and benefactors.

Tickets for the debate will be distributed using a lottery system to full-time students-the same way in which they were distributed in the past; in 2004 only 183 students received lottery tickets from the University.

"The current events at the time and the debate just brought out an interest that I didn't have before," said Neil Patel, Student Union President. "The debate is just one day, but the debate arena, the hype around it, lasts for weeks."

There will also be opportunities for students to volunteer at the debate-both for the different campaigns and for the debate commission.

"The last time we had a debate was my freshman year and there were a lot of opportunities for students to get involved," said Patel. "I expect the same thing to happen this time."

The University of Mississippi at Oxford, Belmont University in Nashville and Hofstra University in New York were chosen to host the three presidential debates.

Centre College in Kentucky and Wake Forest University in North Carolina were chosen as alternate sites for the debates in the event that there are complications at any of the other sites.

The University is the only host site west of the Mississippi River.

According to Chancellor Wrighton, the University was formally notified of its selection on Friday afternoon by Janet Brown, the executive director of the CPD.

The University is the only institution to have hosted more than two debates, meaning that the University has hosted more debates than any other institution in American history.

The debate will be 90 minutes long, feature a single moderator and focus on domestic and foreign policy.

In 1992, the University was chosen as an alternate site and received the debate on one week's notice. The debate in 1992 was the first nationally televised three-person presidential debate between President George H. W. Bush, then-governor Bill Clinton, and independent candidate Ross Perot.

In 1996 the University was selected as a debate site, however then-President Bill Clinton pulled out of the debate because of a disagreement about which candidates would be included in the event.

In 2000, the third presidential debate between Vice President Al Gore and then-Governor George Bush was held at the University.

In 2004, the third debate at Wash. U. featured President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry.

Both the 2000 and 2004 debates were in a town-hall style where the candidates answered questions from the audience while sitting on stools; the debate in 2008 will be moderated with candidates sitting at the desk with the moderator.

All three debates that have taken place at the University-and the vice presidential debate that will take place next year-have occurred in the Francis Field House.

The CPD is a nonpartisan Commission founded in 1987 that sets the criteria for debate hosts and participation in those debates; it has been in charge of the debates since the 1988 election cycle.

"Our mission is to promote voter education," said Paul Kirk, one of the CPD co-chairmen, in a press release. "The public deserves to hear and see the candidates offer and defend their positions on the critical issues facing our country in the most thoughtful and in-depth manner that television time constraints will allow."

Stay tuned to www.studlife.com for more debate updates throughout the week.