The Candidates Are Coming: What to Know Right Now About the GOP Debate at OU
Oakland University is the site of the next debate for the Republican presidential candidates.
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In 12 days, all eyes will be on Rochester.
The Republican presidential hopefuls, along with the pundits, the strategists, the media and, more than likely, a few protestors, will be headed to our area of the national political world on Nov. 9, the day after Election Day.
It will be the ninth debate for the GOP candidates. Here's what you need to know right now about the event.
When and where: The national debate, with the tagline "Your Money, Your Vote," is planned for 8-10 p.m. Nov. 9; that's the day after Election Day. The debate will be held at the O'Rena (home of the Golden Grizzlies) on the campus of Oakland University.
Why OU? The university was selected as a debate site by CNBC, the event's sponsor.
Are there tickets? Not really — unless you can snag an invitation from the Michigan Republican Party, which is co-sponsoring the event. The O'Rena seats 1,400; the university was alloted a small number of seats for faculty and staff and 50 to give out to students through a lottery (students must apply for the lottery by 8 a.m. Monday).
Where can I watch it? CNBC will broadcast live from inside the O'Rena. In addition, a watch party for students and members of the campus community, as well as members of the Rochester-area community, is planned on campus. Attendance at the watch party is free, but you must register online to attend and be chosen by a lottery process, as seats are limited.
Why it matters: It's among a series of national debates for the GOP candidates and will follow closely on the heels of the Illinois straw poll, which is planned for Nov. 5. Michigan is considered by many to be a potential swing state in the 2012 presidential election.
Will it affect life on campus? University officials say disruption to regular classes and campus activities will be minimal. Setup inside the O'Rena will begin next weekend; an exhibition basketball game between the Golden Grizzlies and Windsor, Ontario, that was planned for Nov. 8 was moved to nearby Adams High School. In addition, the recreation center will be closed that week from Tuesday night until Thursday afternoon.
For more information, visit oakland.edu/debate.
In This article
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Adams High School
3200 W Tienken Rd, Rochester Hills, MI -
Oakland University
2200 N Squirrel Rd, Rochester, MI
Heather
9:13 am on Friday, October 28, 2011
I am nerdily excited for this!
Mike Reno
9:32 am on Friday, October 28, 2011
Yeah, just heard that OU may be reneging on reservations for the watch party.
So, even if you have a reservation from them, it might now be meaningless.
Daryl Patrishkoff
11:22 am on Friday, October 28, 2011
Mike,
Really, I am registered and have a few other friends that also signed up. Keep us posted on this.
I am looking forward to hearing from these individuals and understanding their positions on the issues.
Mike Reno
11:32 am on Friday, October 28, 2011
I think everyone who registered is excited! What I heard is that your "reservation" is no longer a reservation... that they might now hold a lottery.
Apparently enough of the "right people" did not get on the list fast enough.
I've got printouts of the web pages, as well as the so-called reservation, and NOWHERE does it say anything about a lottery.
Kristin Bull
12:08 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
Mike and Daryl: I am checking into this for you and will post an update as soon as I know for sure.
Mike Reno
12:13 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
I heard it from someone who got it directly from them. "Because of the popularity, we have now decided..." Be sure to hit'em with the, "Is it fair to change the rules after the fact?" :-)
Kristin Bull
12:53 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
Mike is correct. According to the university, because of the huge demand for tickets, there will be a lottery to determine that everyone have a fair chance to attend the watch party on campus. The fact that this was left out of the registration early on was an honest mistake, OU officials say.
You must register for a chance to attend the party by next Friday, Nov. 4.
Mike Reno
1:01 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
Apparently the design of a button that says "Attendee List" was an accident too.
Mike Reno
1:06 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
I also see you were able to change the text in your article above, but somehow they haven't found time to change theirs. Very amateur.
Daryl Patrishkoff
2:45 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
Kristin,
Thanks for getting the revised story. Let's see how they handle this, like Mike I had the impression at registration that we were in, they even showed us on thier "Attendees" list after registration. I also received an email that said I was registered.
We shall see if OU stands behind what they sent out.
Marcia Robovitsky
9:51 am on Saturday, October 29, 2011
Part of email received 10/28 @ 6 pm from OU alumni assoc.
"Because access to the 8-10 p.m. debate is limited, an Oakland University committee is organizing activities leading up to and during the debate itself. These activities will be free and open to students, alumni and community members.
Tickets are required to attend the watch party. Because of the overwhelming response received thus far regarding alumni interest in the debate, the watch party tickets will be assigned via lottery. You may register for the lottery at www.grizzlink.oualumni.com/communitywatchparty. The registration deadline is Friday, Nov. 4, and selected individuals from the lottery will be notified by Monday, Nov. 7, regarding their ticket pick up.
For more information on these and other related events, visit www.oakland.edu/DebateAtOakland. "