Debate tickets to be allocated to students via lottery

All tickets Washington University receives for the Sept. 25 presidential debate will be allocated to students via a computerized lottery.

And students wondering what they need to do to enter that lottery need wonder no more. All full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled in one or more for-credit classes at the Hilltop or Medical campuses automatically will be entered in the lottery.

In other words, students simply need to wait and keep their fingers crossed.

The lottery "seems to be the fairest and most educationally sound way to proceed," said Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton, Ph.D.

"After reviewing the process that was followed in 1992, and discussing the matter with trustees and faculty, we decided that Washington University will distribute any tickets it receives from the Commission on Presidential Debates to our students by means of a lottery," Wrighton said. "I hope that the fortunate students who receive tickets will consider this opportunity an important part of their Washington University educations. I'm confident that they won't forget the experience of being present for this historic and important event."

A committee of student leaders agreed that a lottery would be the most equitable way to determine which students receive tickets.

Such a system was used to allot tickets to students four years ago. It operated smoothly in 1992, when the University hosted the first debate of that year's presidential campaign, said University Registrar Stuart Yoak, Ph.D., whose office again will coordinate the lottery.

While University officials have the lottery in place for allocating the tickets, they still don't know how many tickets will be available. According to the Commission on Presidential Debates, a variety of set design, construction and security issues first must be resolved before it can be determined how many people can be seated in the debate hall.

Once these matters are settled, the Commission on Presidential Debates will distribute tickets among the presidential candidates taking part in the debate and then will allocate a yet-to-be-determined number of tickets to the University.

In 1992, fewer than 100 students received tickets to attend the debate.

This is how this year's lottery will work:

A computer will generate a randomized list of all enrolled students and then will assign a rank-order number to each student.

Yoak's staff will call those students who are most likely to be offered a ticket. In addition, a list of the student identification numbers of these students and the rank-order numbers assigned to them will be posted on the Hilltop and Medical campuses and at the South Forty. (Only identification numbers and rank-order numbers, not names, will appear on this list.)

When the probable number of student attendees is known, the registrar's office will call each of the rank-ordered students at his or her local telephone number, starting with the student assigned No. 1. If a student can't be reached at his or her local phone number after two attempts, Yoak's staff will call the student's alternate phone number listed on enrollment records. If, after this one additional attempt, the student still can't be reached or doesn't respond, Yoak's staff will move to the next names on the rank-order list.

Yoak recommends students make sure their telephone numbers are current and correct. Students should update their addresses and phone numbers using the student access computer terminals on campus.

While calling the students, Yoak's staff will give each of them instructions as to where and when to report to find out if they will in fact receive a ticket.

Other ways to get involved

Volunteer application forms are available in the Career Center, Room 150 Umrath Hall.

Students living in residence halls, fraternities and Millbrook Square apartments who subscribe to the University's cable-TV package will be able to watch a live simulcast of the debate on Channel 57. (The live simulcast is the network pool feed of the debate.) In addition, there will be other locations throughout campus for public viewing on big screens.