Student Blues (and Not the Red, White and Blues)

Isn’t it a bit ironic that as a student, I was led out of the doors of the student union last night? I drove a hectic 30 minutes in traffic last night, fought the parking chaos, ran to the union and then…slowly (and in a horrible mood) walked back to my car to leave.

CNN should’ve just taken the debate to the convention center.

Reactions to the Presidential Debate

The Democratic presidential debate came, debated, and conquered UNLV campus. Although the main event is over and students will be able to return to their favorite parking spaces Monday, the 50th year for UNLV is indeed a great anniversary, and we made history!

Numerous students and faculty members turned out and crowded the UNLV section at the debate, ready to hear the words of our possible future president.
The debate made many people gasp, choke and scream. Others, such as UNLV student Eileen Luna, said she felt very inspired by Hillary Clinton.

Luna said, “I think it is wonderful to finally have a woman run for president and have high potential of actually winning.”

The Obama Overload

Here are several videos pulled from Thursday night’s presidential candidate debate that focus on Barack Obama.

Notice the U-N-L-V

We know you have a banner on our building, but notice the much larger sign to the right, it’s U-N-L-V! There were a lot of students disappointed with CNN this week.

CNN seemed to have marched right in and put limits on things that we as students should have rights to. To start the blog about the tours given to the public shows real disappointment from any of those without “the badge”. Secondly, since when is the student union not open to students? The second floor ballroom held the watch party last night and only those on a list or with the press could enter. The room was never filled, so they obviously could have allowed the students that were interested into the room. At least the outside looked inviting.

Hopefully the next time a news group invades the campus, they will take a more student friendly approach.

All photos By: Sonja Corliss

East side of campus was asleep yesterday

When I was wandering about campus around 4:30 p.m., things were very quiet. All the excitement was near the Cox Pavilion. The people handing out CNN gear didn’t even ask trivia questions anymore, they were just trying to get rid of everything. The only action I saw was a guy wearing a navy windbreaker outfit and some huge 80s headphones jogging around singing the Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”

Someone pointed over to a stand where free t-shirts were being passed out. By the stand, there was a poster that students were writing on. I took a few pictures of students’ thoughts written in colored sharpies.

The Debate is Over, but the Videos Keep Playing

It hasn’t taken long for video clips of the debate to hit the web.

One clip showing Bill Richardson supporters was confusing at first with signs reading “2013?”

A quick search showed that it’s a selling point for Richardson’s campaign to get the troops out of Iraq now rather than setting a timetable of 2013 as alluded to by other candidates.

The video search also turned up a quirky video anticipating the showdown between major contenders Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards, complete with spaghetti western music:

Most of the video searches on Google, with various wording, turned up numerous Obama-centric clips.

The spin and mock-videos are sure to continue through the weekend.

From Bombs to Democrats

The UNLV campus had tight security today. Metal detectors were placed in front of the stairs at the Cox Pavilion to ensure a safe debate. As if securing a college campus for possible future presidents weren’t enough to keep security busy today, there were some additional threats this morning.

There were rumors of a bomb threat at the Wells Fargo across the street from the student union this morning. Whether or not this is the case, many cop cars were at Wells Fargo this morning and Maryland Parkway was blocked off and prevented some students form getting to class on time. Nothing has been published to determine whether or not this information

At around 5 p.m. security was surrounding the Cox Pavilion. Even after such an anxious day, the well armed policemen smiled for a picture. Thanks guys!

All Photos By: Sonja Corliss

Students get involved

The students at UNLV have always been involved, whether by choice or obligation. If there is an event nearby, the students will have something to say about it, for or against. The Democratic Presidential Debate set the students and staff up for a wild and busy time.

Supporters of the Democratic candidates slept overnight in their cars to wake up as early as possible and rally for support for their candidate. The two predominant groups were promoting Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Both groups received honks, and cheers from passersby.

The campus was filled with CNN folk, reporters, the press, the Secret Service, security, photographers, journalists and aspiring students.

CNN had a stand where students could express themselves. They were welcome to watch the live debate from the North Field (the big patch of grass near the library and CDC), and make buttons for their candidate of choice. This photograph was taken while these students watched the debate on a screen to the right.

There was more than one watch room. Since the main watch room inside the student union was only available to those on a list or with a CNN badge, CBC B building A room 113 hosted a viewing with free pizza and drinks to boot.

Even though the room was not full, the reactions from this crowd were almost intimidating. Most of these viewers were very involved; especially during the topic of giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. It was nice to see that students, regardless of the distractions in Las Vegas, can still invest some time into their future.

All Photos By: Sonja Corliss

LAX After Party

LAX hosted an after party for all members of the press after the debate. Press credentials got you a VIP line pass and free drink.  LAX is one of the hottest new nightclubs at the Luxor in Las Vegas.
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Dance Floor at LAX

The crowd at LAX filled with members of the press from the debate, finally able to unwind.
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