Over 800 names churned within a wooden cage as Longwood Student Government President Dillon Yonker cranked on stage joined by Longwood President W. Taylor Reveley IV.
After nearly two months of prepping for hosting the vice presidential debate, the university prepared to give 100 random students seats in the debate hall close to 48 hours from the ultimate day - Oct. 4.
Pulling 17 names out at a time, in two rounds of 50, students stood on Stubbs Lawn waited, ears perked.
Some names were greeted with silence, the grand prize winner absent, others met with booming excitement. Ticket winners weren’t required to attend the lottery, but had to redeem their ticket by Monday at noon from the President’s Office in Lancaster Hall.
A few giveaways were celebrated belatedly.
For Mikael Severeid, he said as he approached the stage, intending to watch the MKTO concert following the lottery announcement, a friend rushed to him, saying he won.
“I could not believe that I actually won. I was super hyped,” said the Longwood junior, excited to take part in the event. “I get to be in the actual building that the vice presidential debate is in, and it’s a once in a lifetime experience.”
Each ticket is non-transferable, specific to the winner. Longwood offered the opportunity to win to any student who signed up through a link sent in a campus-wide email and advertised it on the university’s official debate website. Winners await further instructions regarding the procedures for attending the debate.
Surprising the student body, Reveley announced one more golden ticket would be given away that evening after supposedly all the tickets were called, relinquishing his own seat during the debate and allowing Longwood to have 101 student lottery representatives in the audience on Tuesday.
All Longwood debate volunteers were automatically entered in the lottery, but fellow student and ticket winner Alexis Kariakas said she chose to enter her name manually as well.
“I never thought I would win a ticket to the debate. I’m volunteering this week, and I thought that was a great opportunity but going to the debate is a whole other story. it’s awesome,” she said. “I’m in shock. I can’t even explain it. I’m in shock.”
The two-round student lottery concluded with the start of MKTO’s concert, continuing to fill the air with electrified excitement for the days to come as campus builds up to the main event.
