Obama and McCain Discuss Public Service at Columbia University
September 11, 2008
On the seventh anniversary of 9/11, the two presidential candidates spoke on public service at the ServiceNation Summit held at Columbia University. While Barack Obama and John McCain were advocating public service, the campus buzzed with excitement as a diverse mix of people were watching the forum outside.
As Secret Services agents were running around campus, students were watching outside on the steps of the Library building the forum on a big screen and they cheered whenever Obama appeared or was even mentioned. Members of the faculty were supervising the event, journalism students were running around to get the best stories, and satellite trucks of the major networks parked outside the school as protesters tried to get their voices heard.
This event was reported from all perspectives by many journalism students at Columbia University who were live-blogging the entire time and provided great elements of what was happening in the school before and during the event.
Marine Olivesi is a student at the Journalism School. She was one of the students who actively contributed to the live-blogging of the event. She started working on the blog the day before the forum, and took many pictures and grabbed on camera the excitement on campus around the event.
“This event gave us the opportunity to practice all the skills we are learning. The new media students did a terrific job on the website, and we all contributing as much as we can,” said he 24-year-old French journalism student. “I got the first scoop of my career, I sneaked in one the vans yesterday and took a picture of the forum’s schedule.”
Many members of the faculty were standing near the audience who was sitting outside to make sure the even was running well. Scott Halvorson, the Dean of Students at the School of General Studies, said that it was a challenge to get organized around the event on such short notice.
“I am very proud of the work we have done,” he said. “This is a success, all the schools have come together to be ready for an event of this magnitude.” He said that he was only there to assist people who were watching the event and make sure everything went smoothly.
He added, “I am extremely happy to be a part of the excitement.”
Some students were apathetic to the event and were there out of curiosity. Kevin Kenjar, 25, a Columbia University graduate student dressed in a black t-shirt that read “anarchist,” said that he did not support either candidate but he was just there for the buzz around the event. He said, “I tend to not believe any of them because despite small differences, neither of them have interests that I relate to.”
Outside of the school, many protesters demonstrated against the policies of both candidates. Peter Cobb, of New Jersey, along with other protesters stood in front of the 116th street entrance to the university, wearing a white mask. They all held signs with the names of dead Iraqis and Americans.
“We are here because both McCain and Obama are candidates of war,” he said. “People need to go out in the streets and rebel in order to have some sort of change happening. That is how the Civil Right movement was successful.”
After the event ended, everyone waited to see the candidates come out, students were waiting with their cameras but the secret services were able to get them out without anyone noticing.