Correction appended
Of the 2,822 students and community members who entered the lottery to attend the Oct. 11 Republican presidential primary debate, 181 individuals or 6.4 percent of those who applied received a ticket to watch the event in Spaulding Auditorium from 8-10 p.m., Director of Media Relations for the College Justin Anderson said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Students received 136 of the 181 lottery-allocated seats, while community members received the other 45 tickets, according to Anderson. Individuals who were selected by the random lottery were notified of the decision Tuesday at noon, he said.
Of the approximately 860 seats available to all guests, Dartmouth was allotted approximately 400 tickets to distribute to students, staff, faculty and community members, according to Anderson.
"The students represent the largest group among the various Dartmouth groups," Anderson said.
Those students who did not secure a ticket to the debate will be able to watch the event live from Leede Arena, according to the Rockefeller Center student debate coordinator John Turro '12, who is organizing the watch party. Approximately 1,800 students will be allowed to attend the watch party, which students can reserve on a first come, first serve basis on the College's debate website.
"While we wish that we could accommodate everyone who is interested in attending, because the demand has been so high, that is just not possible," Anderson said.
Not all Spaulding seats have been "definitely allocated," and students will have other opportunites to be involved in the event, Anderson said. Rockefeller Center Associate Director Ronald Shaiko, for example, is organizing a focus group that will allow 16 students to attend the debate and discuss the candidates afterward, Anderson said.
The event's other sponsors Bloomberg News, The Washington Post and local news outlet WBIN-TV were allocated about 260 seats total, while 200 seats were given to the candidates, local politicians and other special guests.
In order to make the lottery "as fair and equitable as possible," Dartmouth officials used Microsoft Excel's random selection function to generate winners, Anderson said.
"We know that the demand is going to outstrip the supply," he said. "We want to at least give everyone who expresses an interest the opportunity to try to get a seat."
Maya Johnson '14, who received a ticket for the event, said she was ecstatic at the opportunity to "possibly see the next president."
"I am so excited," Johnson said. "It's a great opportunity that a lot of people don't have the chance to partake in."
The debate will be particularly interesting given that several of the candidates including Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, always have "something controversial to say," Johnson said.
Former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., is currently the only Republican candidate who has confirmed that he will attend the debate.
Most students interviewed by The Dartmouth who did not receive a ticket to the debate said that although they were upset with the results of the lottery, they understood that the College could only offer a small number of seats to students.
"I'm disappointed but I understand it's a popular event that everyone wanted to go to," Emily Brigstocke '15 said.
Jayne Caron '14 said she was "pissed" that she did not receive a ticket given the high stakes of the debate.
"I think this election is very important and to see them speak in person would be a really cool opportunity," she said.
Others expressed disappointment that the College did not procure additional tickets for students.
"I'm disappointed and upset," graduate student Nathan Bullock said. "I thought that they would have a quota so that the majority of viewers were students otherwise, what's the point of Dartmouth holding a debate?"
Student leaders of the College Republicans, College Democrats and College Libertarians will speak to watch party attendees before the live debate is televised on a screen in Leede Arena at 8 p.m., according to Turro. The watch party, which begins at 5 p.m. on Oct. 11, will include dinner for attendants as well as artistic performances by various student groups, Turro said.
Following the debate, candidates will be invited to the watch party to speak directly with students, Turro said.
"It's a great way for students to engage in the democratic process," he said.
The College will also hold a pre-debate panel in Moore Theater titled "Leading Voices: What's at Stake in the Republican Debate," moderated by political journalist and College Trustee Morton Kondracke '60.
PBS host and renowned journalist Charlie Rose, Bloomberg Television White House correspondent Julianna Goldman and The Washington Post's national political correspondent Karen Tumulty will moderate the debate, which will focus on economic issues.
Dartmouth hosted all eight candidates for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination in a debate in September 2007.
Several candidates at the debate including current U.S. President Barack Obama traveled to Leede to speak at the watch party hosted at the time, Turro said.
During the 2007 debate, almost 3,800 students entered to win approximately 115 seats to the event.
