Presidential Debate Watch Party, October 3, 2012

The University of Maryland will be hosting an interactive debate watch this Wednesday, October 3 in the Colony Ballroom on Campus. We need your help to get the word out to your faculty, staff and students. There is space for up to 500 participants.

 

Pizza and drinks will be served.

 

Hosted by Public Policy Dean Don Kettl, the debate watch will feature the announcement of a new Terrapin Electronic Registration System through our TerpsVote initiative. Last year's SGA was primarily responsible for the creation of this program with support from the State of Maryland, IT, Student Affairs and the Stamp Student Union. It will allow anyone with a university ID to electronically register to vote using a secure system. For students, this means they can securely register to vote either in-state or their hometown.

 

We will also provide the opportunity for participants to use a new kind of real-time polling (using a web-based tool for mobile devices) to get  moment-by-moment reactions as the debate unfolds. The technology - from React Labs - was developed by UMD Professor Philip Resnik (ARHU/Linguistics). We'll have two screens available - one with the debate, one with the real-time polling results of Maryland and other participants around the nation. There will be a short discussion about the results and a Q and A afterwards.

 

Media have been invited and may attend.

 

The schedule:

 

7:30 p.m. : Colony Ballroom Doors Open

 

8:30 p.m. : Dean Kettl hosts pre-debate discussion with TerpsVote and ReactLabs.

 

9:00 p.m - 10:30 p.m. : Watch the Presidential Debate from the University of Maryland.

 

10:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.: Dean Kettl will host a Q and A and brief analysis session.

 

11:00 p.m. - Program concludes.

 

We hope you will encourage your faculty to promote this event with your students as a great learning experience and to learn about new UMD-developed innovative technologies that will have long-term impact on campus and across the U.S.