By Jescy Rodriguez–
This past weekend President Barack Obama visited campus as one of the first stops on his way to Charlotte, North Carolina for the 2012 Democratic Convention, being held Thursday September 6.
More photos of Obama’s campaign stop.
Morningside has been a popular stop for political campaigns of Presidential candidates both current and former. During the Iowa Caucuses earlier this year, Morningside was visited by a slew of Republican frontrunners. Newt Gingrich, Michelle Bachmann, and eventual Republican Candidate Mitt Romney, all made their names known throughout campus as well as in the minds of new young voters. Saturday, however, was about the current President of the United States and his response to his critics with an optimistic look ahead to the future.
Read: One student’s reaction. Obama’s message
Just how does an event so big happen at a small liberal arts college like Morningside? According to History Professor and current Woodbury County Democratic party Chairperson Greg Guelcher, this event is just one of many presidential campaign stops we’ve received over the past ten years.
Guelcher said, “We have been working for well over a decade going back to the 2000 election campaign cycle to make Morningside College the place for Presidential candidates to come to. We work hard to attract candidates, provide a good venue, ensure a good crowd and we have had a surprising number of candidates on campus. […] It’s great to have a sitting president come on campus, but we’ve also had Mitt Romney.”
Guelcher then listed a parade of big time political names, including Bachmann, Gingrich, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Bill Bradley, Barack Obama in his first campaign, and John Edwards. “We’ve worked really hard to advertise the fact that we care and are politically committed to prove we are the place to be for incoming candidates.”
Guelcher’s role in making Saturday’s campaign rally a possibility came from him lobbying the local campaign heavily as the Democratic Party Chair of Woodbury County. “I told them I work at Morningside College, my students really care about politics and would really love an opportunity to meet a candidate.”
Guelcher then changed gears and shared the limelight with others at Morningside College. “It also takes a lot of hard work on the part of the administration, people over at Lewis Hall, particularly Rick Wollman our director of public affairs, working around the clock to help the Obama Advance team set up for this event.”
A chance to interview Rick did not come easy, as he was easily the busiest person on campus the week leading into president Obama’s speech. Surprisingly, seven days before the event Wollman had no idea what was in store for the next workweek ahead of him.
Wollman said, “Monday morning there was a knock on my office door and my assistant had with her a young gentleman representing the Obama for America campaign. The representative explained the campaign was in Sioux City looking for possible sites for what they described as a grassroots political event. It wasn’t until around the middle of the week we realized it would be the President of the United States. I came to work Monday morning thinking it was going to be a typical work week.” Much to his surprise, his “whole week was changed dramatically.”
Wollman, whowas enthusiastic about the opportunity, commented, ”I think it’s a great experience for students to have a sitting president on campus where you go to school. In my lifetime I have only seen a president speak, it’s a big deal. “
Asked about a possible return for candidate Mitt Romney, Wollman explained, “Morningside’s president John Reynders has made a policy, so that whenever possible we try to make college facilities available for individuals who have announced they are seeking elective office. We try to encourage events on campus so that our students and faculty can attend. Our driving force is to be able to get students to see hear and even possibly ask questions of some of these nationally prominent politicians who come to campus.”
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