By Samuel Rubenfeld
The University is hosting the final debate in the 2008 presidential election cycle on Oct. 15, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a non-partisan, non-profit organization that has organized and produced debates since 1988, announced on Nov. 19.
Students, faculty and administrators received a special e-mail from President Stuart Rabinowitz on the afternoon of the announcement, spreading the message throughout the University community.
"This is not your typical university conference," Rabinowitz said.
The University was announced as an applicant for the debates on April 2, along with 18 other applicants, of which 15 were universities or colleges. The CPD visited the University at the end of April to tour the campus facilities to be used for the debate, and they signaled approval at the amount of local government support, which included appearances by Hempstead Village Mayor Wayne Hall, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, and State Sen. Kemp Hannon (R- Garden City).
The fee to CPD for hosting the debate is $1.35 million, all of which was raised by fundraising from trustees, said Melissa Connolly, vice president of University Relations. "We expect that the total cost will be $2.5 million plus, including the $1.35 million cost to the CPD, as well as general improvements, wiring, telecommunications, and facilities costs," she added.
But the question that went unanswered throughout the day of the announcement was how many seats were available, and how to get into the debate hall itself. According to Newsday's political blog Spin Cycle, University officials were quoted as receiving "several hundred" phone calls requesting tickets within hours of the announcement.
"The debates are small," Rabinowitz said, adding that they usually host less than 1,000 people. "They [the Commission] divide the tickets amongst themselves, the campaigns and then they allocate a relatively small number to the university to distribute.
"I don't know what that number will be," he added. "They give you just a few days before the debate, when they tell you how many tickets they are giving you." Steve Givens, associate vice chancellor for Public Affairs for the Danforth Campus of the Washington University in St. Louis, said they received about one-third of the 900 tickets to their debate, with the other two-thirds being split equally between the national party committees.
The university's tickets went to students through a lottery, where students were informed of the receipt of a ticket through an e-mail, Givens said.
"All, or virtually all [tickets], meaning everything but a handful, would go to students," Rabinowitz said. "The vast majority, if not all, of our invitees should be our students. "The Playhouse will carry it on remote and there will be programs for students all around campus," Rabinowitz added.
Givens said Washington University in St. Louis holds their debates in an arena comparable to the size of Hofstra's David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, which has capacity of about 5,000 people.
The Washington University in St. Louis has been chosen to hold a debate every presidential election cycle since 1992, and they have, with the exception of the 1996 election, because the debate was cancelled when the candidates decided to hold only two debates that election year.
As for the security apparatus, Rabinowitz said though he does not know the exact structure of the security setup, it will require the cooperation of University Public Safety, village, town and county police, along with the Secret Service. "All of those groups have worked before, and they are comfortable with each other," Rabinowitz said.
According to Givens, the security apparatus is set up a few days prior to the debate. Credentials will be required to enter the area, he said.
"Things definitely get a little crazy for a few days," Givens said. "You learn to live with the inconvenience."
The debate provides a wealth of opportunities to students to participate, Rabinowitz said. "I think every school that has had it had a cadre of student volunteers, and I think that it's a great learning experience. They can work with the press and they can work with the political advance people, and so on."
Richard Himelfarb, an associate professor of political science, said,"Getting the debate signals the effort to be a distinguished national university. This is going to call national attention to the Kalikow Center for Presidential Study."
Rabinowitz was unable to contact the members of the commission themselves to steer the debate to the University, but local public officials did the job for him. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) personally lobbied for the debate to be held at the University by writing letters to the chairmen of both political parties and to the CPD chairs, according to a statement from his office.
"Hofstra is capable of meeting all of the Commission's requirements, such as the cost of the debate production and other expenses, workspace for journalists, phone lines, a closed-circuit television system, a shuttle bus system, and five days of catering and transportation," Schumer wrote. "With a bustling and energized campus community as well, Hofstra is armed and ready to host one of the most significant events in the 2008 election."
"Senator Schumer is a tireless advocate for the state of New York," Caroline Cissone, a deputy press secretary for the Democratic National Committee, said. The Republican National Committee did not reply to repeated requests for comment on Schumer's letter to the Republican National Chairman.
New Orleans expected to receive a debate as well, but did not.Women organized a group called "Women of the Storm," and sent a letter to the CPD to express their disappointment. "New Orleans has been denied its offer to host a presidential debate, and this may say as much about Washington's insider politics as anything," the letter said. "We attempted, perhaps naively, to underscore the importance of domestic issues as embodied by the disaster that struck our community and uncovered national vulnerabilities that plague us all."
Students were divided over the impact of having the debate at the University. "It's a publicity stunt," Anthony Ehmer, a sophomore psychology major said. "If things were more at peace with the students... they would be more accepting."
"It's going to get me more involved with politics," said Mike Pritchard, a junior marketing major. "With it right in your face, it's kind of hard not to."