2008 Presidential Debate | The University of Mississippi

August 26, 2008

Student Programming Plans Politically Themed Events Leading to Presidential Debate

OXFORD, Miss. - An interactive trivia game show, a laser tag pursuit and musical acts highlight a slate of politically themed events planned by the University of Mississippi Student Programming Board during the weeks leading up to the first 2008 presidential debate, hosted on campus Sept. 26.

The opener during Welcome Week is ThinkFast Political Trivia set for noon Friday (Aug. 29) in the Student Union Lobby. The competition features Ole Miss students and focuses on such topics as presidential candidates, past presidents, the state of Mississippi and the university, said Jaklyn Wrigley, graduate assistant for Campus Programming. Wrigley has developed more than 200 questions for the game, which begins with multiple-choice questions and ends with a fill-in-the-blank quiz.

"The topics all kind of tie together, especially with the presidential debate being such a historic opportunity for us," Wrigley said. "I think it's a really neat way for students to get involved and test their awareness about what is going on and what has gone on and the implications of history in our lives as students. The trivia hits on everything we're trying to showcase."

Laser Tag Pursuit is set for 8 p.m. Sept. 4 in the Grove, with representatives from student organizations competing on either the Democrat or Republican team. The game is sponsored by Microsoft.

Also kicking off the semester with a political twist is the campus staple Union Unplugged musical series, which opened the season at noon Tuesday (Aug. 26) on the Student Union Plaza, with a show by local musician Clint Jordan. Jordan plays political activist songs from the late 1960s, including pieces by Bob Dylan and Edwin Starr.

"Anything that gets people actually paying attention to what politicians are saying is important," Jordan said. "This is a nice segue as far as music goes to get people thinking about this sort of thing."

Union Unplugged continues at 12:15 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 28) on the Student Union Plaza with a show by Oxford's comedy troupe Laff Co. The group performs political satire featuring improv and renditions of the presidential candidates, said director Bruce Butler. The show includes audience interaction and a question-and-answer segment.

"On a college campus, you have people who are going to be voting for the first time in this election," Wrigley said. "It's a really exciting time for that reason but also if you can have an activity that is school sponsored that really kind of gets you in the mood, it can only promote excitement."

"The Student Programming Board's regular Movie Series also is planned to encourage awareness of the debate and the 2008 election," said Jennifer Taylor, director of Campus Programming.

Following is the movie schedule:

* Aug. 28, 29 - "Charlie Wilson's War" - 8 p.m. Thursday, Grove Stage or Turner Center Auditorium if rain; 8 p.m. Friday, Turner Center Auditorium
* Sept. 4, 5 - "Man of the Year" - 8 p.m., Thursday, Grove Stage or Turner Center Auditorium if rain; 8 p.m. Friday, Turner Center Auditorium
* Sept. 11, 12 - "Bobby" - 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Grove Stage or Turner Center Auditorium if rain; 8 p.m. Friday, Turner Center Auditorium
* Sept. 18, 19 - "The 11th Hour" - 8 p.m. Thursday, Grove Stage or Turner Center Auditorium if rain; 8 p.m. Friday, Turner Center Auditorium.

While the events are planned in the interest of students, they are free and open to the public. For more information, go to http://events.olemiss.edu/events/. To request assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7236.

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