UM Students Camp Out Overnight For Obama Tickets
CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) – They were the hottest tickets in town, at least they were the hottest tickets at the University of Miami, as hundreds of students camped out overnight for a chance to see President Barack Obama speak on campus on Thursday.
All that patience paid off for UM freshman Charline Quenee who was issued the first ticket.
"We didn't want to take any chances. We spent the day walking back and forth checking that nobody was getting line," said Quenee. Around six o'clock Tuesday night, Quenee and her friends started the line that wrapped around the building.
At daybreak, they're perseverance paid off.
"It worked out really nicely for us," exclaimed Quenee.
UM freshman Steven Levine was one of the hundreds of students who stood in line for a ticket to see President Obama's speech at UM's BankUnted Center Thursday.
Levine said the Presidential Election of 2012 will mark his first time voting.
"I am now considering politics and looking at all of the different sides," said Levine.
At the event, Obama is expected to discuss plans to shore up the economy and talk about energy.
For Ph.D. student Derek Schesser, the energy policy is a big factor in how he plans to vote.
"I would really like to hear an extensive federal policy that would put in place incentives so that we could transition to renewable energies as a nation," said Schesser.
Out of the 800 or so students who camped out for tickets, it's not known how many actually received them. The White House has not revealed how many tickets it released for Thursday's event but they all agree it's an event not to be missed.
"A sitting President coming to campus is a once and a life time opportunity for many of our students who are here today and will be able to be in the room with him and hear him speak," explained Joshua Brandfom, UM Associate Director of Student Activities.
After the UM speech, Obama will attend a fundraising reception at the Biltmore Hotel and at the Coral Gables home of lawyer Chris Korge, a top fundraiser for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. After that, Air Force One will ferry him to Orlando for a $30,000-per-person fundraising dinner at the home of NBA star Vince Carter.
