In a letter to the campus community today, University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., announced that the University’s limited number of tickets to the first U.S. presidential debate on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Purcell Pavilion will be allocated exclusively to currently enrolled Notre Dame students.
Noting that the debate hall capacity and tickets are managed by the Commission on Presidential Debates, Father Jenkins indicated a lottery system will be used to select the students who will receive Notre Dame’s tickets. A specific ticket number was not announced.
To bring the campus community together for this historic event, a debate watch party will be held that evening in Notre Dame Stadium, open to all University students, faculty, staff and invited community members. On the evening of the debate, Father Jenkins will welcome the candidates, moderator and visitors to Purcell Pavilion and will then watch the debate in the stadium with the campus community.
“In the coming election year, I encourage every member of the Notre Dame community to take advantage of opportunities to inform themselves and to engage in serious, honest but civil discussion about the issues and candidates,” Father Jenkins said. “The hosting of this debate and the coming election cycle is an opportunity for the members of this community to model vigorous and honest disagreement that is at the same time respectful and reasoned.”
Father Jenkins also announced that presidential debates and elections will be the topic of the 2020 Notre Dame Forum and, on a smaller scale, debate watches will be held for the remaining two presidential and one vice presidential debates being held in October at other universities.
More information about the student ticket lottery, 2020 Forum events and debate watch parties will be made available in the months ahead on debate.nd.edu.
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on January 22, 2020.