Political affiliations aside, CU students are eagerly anticipating the topics President Barack Obama will discuss during his upcoming on-campus speech.
The president will speak at Norlin Quad on Sunday, with gates opening at 10 a.m. In April, he spoke to a full house at the Coors Events Center about affordable higher education. This semester, Obama will come back to CU as a part of his “Road to Charlotte” tour to gain young supporters that have become so crucial to his presidency, as seen in the 2008 election.
Laura Johnson, in the sun on right, 17, freshman open-option student waits in line Thursday for tickets to see President Obama Sunday. This will be Obama’s second speech at CU in less than a year. (CU Independent/Robert R. Denton)
Voter registration booths manned by students and volunteers can be seen around campus trying to get as many people to vote as possible. Competitions like the “GottaRegister Rocky Mountain Rumble” are in place, a race between University of Colorado and Colorado State University students that will occur during Saturday’s rivalry football game.
“GottaRegister” will give one of the universities bragging rights when it comes to being politically active. Students have noticed the campus climate heating up in terms of the election and are looking forward to what the president has to say.
“I just got my ticket, and I’m really excited to hear the president speak, I think it’s a really cool opportunity,” said Paige Olson, an 18-year-old freshman open-option student. “He stands for a lot of things that I believe in, like equal marriage opportunity and pro-choice for women.”
This period of time is important for both candidates, as both sides will try and ramp up their campaigning to get as many voters as possible. One of Obama’s strategies, as we have seen in the last election, is getting youth approval.
Brendon Wright, a 22-year-old junior English major, said that he always has one specific topic at the forefront of his mind.
“The president stands for a lot of issues that are important, but I’m gay so the most important one to me is the equality of marriage,” Wright said.
Ryan Lacey, a 28-year-old in the graduate architectural engineering program, said that the nation’s economy is the primary issue for him.
“The national debt and the economy is something that concerns me for the upcoming election,” Lacey said.
Emma Simpleman, 18, open-option student, said she recognizes the importance of the college student vote.
“I think it’s really cool that he wants to come to the campus and connect with the students,” she said. “Paying for college is an issue that’s really important to me, and I’m excited to hear the president speak about an issue that’s important to students.”
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.
