Peyton Fletcher
Year: 2014
Major: Marketing
When the chaos of the second presidential debate arrived at Hofstra, everyone on campus was clamoring to be a part of the action.
Out of approximately 6,500 people who entered the raffle for a ticket inside the debate hall, a sweepstakes that was open only to current Hofstra students, 300 lucky co-eds received entry and got the up close glimpse of history right on our campus.
Junior marketing major Peyton Fletcher was one of the lucky few to get a golden ticket and shares her experience HC Hofstra.
Of course the question on everyone’s mind is ‘what was it like being inside the Debate Hall’?
Being in the debate hall was surreal. The atmosphere was unlike anything else I have ever experienced. Being able to say I was in the same room at the President of the United States no matter who it is was absolutely incredible.
How did you feel when you got the email notifying you that you got a ticket to the debate?
When I got the e-mail I was shocked and thought it was a joke. I never win anything so winning this was absolutely amazing. I was very excited once I started telling people and heard their reactions.
Do you think the fact that you couldn’t see the candidate’s up close on a TV screen took away from your experience?
Absolutely not! Being there was so much better. I can see all the other debates on TV, but how many times do you get to be there in person?
Obviously security was extremely high. How long was the process to get into the debate hall?
The longest part of that process was waiting at Hofstra USA to go to the Nassau Coliseum it took 2 hours and 45 minutes. Once at the Coliseum we went through metal detectors, our bags were checked and we were bused to the Mack once that was all completed.
How was the aftermath of the debate?
As soon as the debate ended everyone starting taking pictures and talking. Everyone had something to say. Walking out of the debate hall was insane all the media wanted to get reaction footage from the people watching the debate and then everyone trying to leave the building.
How do you think the candidates did overall?
I think overall the candidates set out to do a job and accomplished that job. Obama needed to improve from last time and Romney needed to continue to build momentum.
When the audience did vocalize their opinions it was very tense afterwards because people could have been kicked out but it was also exciting because you were supporting your candidate.