OXFORD,
Miss. – At the end of a hectic week marked by intense preparations and
great uncertainty, the first presidential debate at the University of
Mississippi turned out every bit as grand as planners ever dreamed it
would be.
Thousands of media representatives from around the world
came to Oxford to cover the Friday night event, and the doubts over
whether candidate John McCain would participate only seemed to
intensify the spotlight on the university and its efforts. The praise
heaped on the institution capped a landmark day for the university and
for the state of Mississippi.
Southern Hospitality
“This was a perfect place for the debate, and I can honestly say that neither side lost nor gained advantage in how Mississippi handled the first presidential debate,” said Greg Craig, foreign policy advisor to Barack Obama. “The people of Ole Miss and Mississippi have been very generous and great hosts. The debate was flawless.”
“Because media comes from all over the world, especially for the first presidential debate, having the debate in Mississippi really gave both candidates the home-court advantage,” said Tucker Bounds, McCain campaign spokesman. “Ole Miss and Mississippi have been great hosts.”
Kenji Kohno, a Washington-based correspondent for Japanese broadcast network NHK, arrived in Oxford Thursday and was quickly struck by the Southern hospitality he experienced as he and several colleagues rented a home in town for the debate.
“Everybody is so nice here,” Kohno said. “It’s so much nicer than D.C.”
Rocking the Vote
A mother of two Ole Miss students has traveled from Hernando to Oxford nearly every day for three weeks straight to help register students to vote.
“Your vote is important, sir,” Jacobs told one student on the Student Union Plaza. “I hope you do your part. Your vote counts.”
Jacobs, who grows Japanese persimmons in her spare time, has helped some 400 UM students register over the last three weeks, including more than 100 last Wednesday, alone.
“This is the work of the party,” Jacobs said. “There are three jobs in politics as a volunteer: register voters, help raise funds and get your candidate elected.”
Learning Opportunities
Students from Regents School of Oxford took advantage of the Rock the Debate festival in the Grove to get an education in important social issues. More than 20 seventh-through-ninth graders from the school took in the event with an assignment to visit at least three booths along Issue Alley and learn about the concerns presented there.
“It exposes them to things other than what their families talk about at home,” said Abi Rayburn, a parent who accompanied the group on the field trip. “There are a lot of issues out there that you may not even think about unless you come to something like this. It’s a great learning experience.”
When the students return to school on Monday, they will be expected to lead discussions of the various issues in their classes. The booths included groups promoting a variety of social, environmental and humanitarian causes.
Despite the homework assignment, the students had a good time sampling the food, music and video games available at the festival. One even came away with a once-in-a-lifetime souvenir, a photo taken with CBS News anchor Katie Couric.
Meanwhile, classes were canceled Friday for Ole Miss students, but that does not mean the work of education stopped, said Rich Forgette, chair of the UM Department of Political Science department.
Forgette, who has worked on Capitol Hill, was among several faculty members in the Media Filing Center ready to play pundit for various media outlets. During the downtime, he pulled out a stack of papers – student papers about the presidency.
“I’m sure the students who are being graded weren’t glad to hear about that,” Forgette said with a chuckle. “But it seemed appropriate to be grading presidency papers while in the media tent. It’s neat to see how the debate is viewed by national media.”
Star Watching
“Oh, my God! You’re Ursala Madden!” exclaimed a female UM Physical Plant employee. “My family and I watch you all the time on ActionNews 5!”
Humbled, but appreciative for the attention, the news anchor for the Memphis NBC affiliate thanked the fan for acknowledging her.
“She made my afternoon,” Madden said, smiling as she returned to work covering the debate. Such scenarios were seen repeatedly as students and university employees saw and met several regional and national celebrities. During the hours before the main event, the good vibrations between admirers and those being admired flowed freely.
UM student Nikolaus Luckett of Drew had been shadowing CNN crew members for three days, but when he saw 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry standing a mere arm’s-length away, his jaw flew open with amazement.
“Wow! That’s John Kerry!” Luckett said. “I never expected to be this close to someone like him.”
UM Broadcast Media Manager Mary Stanton, who met and assisted Kerry, was excited and noted that he is as tall as he appears to be on television. CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, on the other hand, is petite, Stanton said. “I had always imagined that she would be taller.”
Communications Specialist Jennifer Farish described her interview with NBC News veteran Tom Brokaw as mesmerizing. “It was only a three-minute interview, but he said, ‘Nice to meet you, Jennifer.’ I can still hear his voice saying that to me.”
Linda Peal, special assistant to Chancellor Robert Khayat, got to meet and shake hands with both McCain and Obama. “It was an experience I’ll never forget,” Peal said.
Far and Wide
While hundreds of people packed into the Grove and on the Oxford Square to watch the debate, it was also “Showtime at The Apollo.”
In conjunction with CNN and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the famed Apollo Theatre in New York hosted a debate watch party in the heart of Harlem. The university was represented there as well, with several UM alums expected to attend. The university sent recruiting brochures as well as T-shirts, mugs and other memorabilia.
“It’s great that we’re able to partner with the university like this,” said L. Ade Williams, of the Apollo Theatre Foundation. “It says a lot, that the university would reach out to us. A lot of our young people in Harlem probably never thought about going to Ole Miss, but maybe now they will.”