A Pioneer's Insider Look at DebateFest

Students celebrated DebateFest on the Carnegie Green at the University of Denver Wednesday afternoon (photo via University of Denver’s Flickr)

There was no better day to be a Pioneer at the University of Denver than Wednesday, October 3rd 2012, the day that had been talked about for almost a whole year beforehand as the day that the world’s eyes would be on us as President Obama and former Governor Romney would battle it out in Magness Arena in the first Presidential Debate.

As the 2 miles of fence went up around campus, designating areas that required extra security, DU’s campus was pumped full of energy and excitement in the days leading up to October 3rd. DebateFest was the University of Denver’s festive way of celebrating the debate, with about 5,000 DU students, alumni, faculty, and guests in attendance Wednesday afternoon. Pre-registration for the event began early August.

The line to DebateFest started early, right after noon, and by the time my two friends and I were able to get to the festival at 3 PM, the advertised beginning time for DebateFest, the line by Evans Chapel, one of three major entrances to the event, extended all the way to the major street, Iliff Ave. At the very least, there was good live music playing by local Colorado-based musicians

Security proved surprisingly light, with volunteers not even checking if attendees had registered, but merely checking to see that attendees had some form of identification. Police officers quickly checked bags and ushered us through.

We got inside and set our blankets down on the grass in front of the stage. We wouldn’t be the last to claim spots, as over the next hour, the lawn suddenly filled to the brim with DebateFest-goers all sitting, blankets or not, waiting for the main attraction, the Lumineers, to arrive.

In the circle, a short walk from the stage, in front of Mary Reed Building, the oldest building at the University, 12 food trucks offered delectable goods from Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream to cheesesteaks to chicken and waffles and more, keeping festival-goers’ hunger and thirst at bay. Meanwhile, a crowd continuously hovered around MSNBC’s set-up in the middle of the circle, going wild with cheering and sign-flailing and, in the case of DU’s Cheerleading Team, pompom-waving every time MSNBC went live.

DU students with a Prochoice activist in Issues Alley (photo via University of Denver’s Flickr)

In the opposite direction was Issues Alley, featuring 50 booths that had been setting up since 8 AM. Strolling through, you could educate yourself on different parties, pick up free swag (tote bags, candy, all the essentials, of course), and social issues, such as pro-choice activists with their popular vulva-head representative (pictured to the left).

Just walking around DebateFest, it was obvious that everyone came out intending to represent their Pioneer Pride – shirts bearing the DU logo were common, as were USA-themed outfits. In a time of mud-slinging politics and personal attacks based on political views, while the issues were there for people to investigate, DebateFest took on more of a celebratory air than one of moral seriousness. It just wasn’t the forum for serious discussion. People toted their Obama or Romney signs somewhat halfheartedly, only throwing them up for camera shots.

In my opinion, this made the DebateFest experience extremely enjoyable. I was worried that I would be plagued by people asking me, as they have been all quarter, “Are you registered to vote?” or “Do you believe in God?” (once). Instead, the more outspoken people on social issues congregated in the Free Speech area near the Ritchie center, letting DebateFest really focus on the “Fest.”

Colorado music artists, playing soothing folk music all afternoon, kept the crowd calm and entertained, up until folk rock band The Lumineers arrived. As soon as they arrived, people suddenly stood up from their relaxed spots on the lawn and rushed up to the front. The mood shifted from a festival feeling to one of a concert, since they were such a well-known band. Many of my friends had said they would attend DebateFest just to see The Lumineers play.  People hoisted their “Romney 2012″ and “Forward – Colorado for Obama” signs, cheering as the cameras took photos and videos of them. The Lumineers kept the crowd swaying and clapping and bouncing as the wind picked up and the sun began to set.

DebateFest goers bundled up against as a cold front moved in on Wednesday evening (photo via University of Denver’s Flickr)

When the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse after the Lumineers’ performance, it was amazing how quickly DebateFest emptied. People packed up their blankets and bags and rapidly headed for one of the three exits out of the fenced area, ready to head home and join the 52 million and more people watching the Debate from their homes.

Meanwhile, the remaining DebateFest goers bravely bundled up in blankets and jackets and sweatshirts against the cold, as the wind seemed to blow right through festival goers who had sweated in their T-shirts just hours beforehand – classic Colorado weather!

CSPAN provided big screens for DebateFest so that we could watch the Debate occuring inside Magness Arena, where many a hockey game has taken place. While Jim Lehrer, the moderator, explained that those lucky enough to gain a seat in the Debate Hall would be forced to remain silent and not use electronic devices, we were cheering for candidates throughout the Debate, checking Twitter on our phones as about over 10 million Debate-related tweets surfaced on the internet, booing each time a candidate interrupted the moderator and engaging ourselves with the Debate.

DebateFest goers watch the Debate live (photo via University of Denver’s Flickr)

When the evening finally drew to a close, it was Sam Estenson, the President of the Undergraduate Student Government, who encouraged people to take this experience home with them as a cherished memory and to thank the University for the work that had been done to prepare for the debate.

While there were complaints last year about there not being enough tickets for many students to attend the Debate, the University really made an effort to engage students in the whole experience, encouraging students to volunteer, having students attend events educating themselves on debate-related issues in the months leading up to October 3rd in exchange for lottery entries into the debate, holding DebateFest as a fun celebration of our University more than a celebration of politics.

Instead of focusing on the differences between political affiliations, DebateFest brought us all together as one university in an unforgettable experience.