by T. ROPELATO Staff Writer
Michelle Obama Speaks At CSN
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Photos Taken By: Maya Arellano
ne day before the historical U.S. election, the Cheyenne campus of CSN was graced with a surprise visit from Michelle Obama, wife of now President Elect Barack Obama. Refusing to let a roaring jet overhead deter soon-to-be First Lady, Michelle Obama focused on the importance of the youth vote, and summarized key points of her husband’s plans for healthcare, student loans and middle class-tax breaks. The crowd (estimated by officials at around 1,700) wrapped around the southeast corner of the school and was plastered with stickers, flyers, yardsigns, buttons handshakes and temporary tattoos. People were greeted with a healthy mix of 70’s funk and soul, heartland country, a sprinkle of familyfriendly hip-hop and a few new wave alternative hits for good measure. The small army of supporters was a diverse one, including blacks, whites; young,
November 2008
old; I even saw a du-rag standing next to a cowboy hat. The police presence around crowd was just as diversified. The North Las Vegas Police mobile command center’s communication towers were taller than any of the news vans. There were cops in green, cops in black, cops in tan and suited secret service scattered everywhere. Two snipers with binoculars kept a hawk eye view from the rooftop. A giant anti-riot tank sat quietly parked behind the school, a stark contrast to the cute CSN police segways, which were poised around the crowd. The chants of “yes we can” spread through the crowd like a Vegas flash flood as Mrs. Obama took the stage. The College of Southern Nevada
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cheers were so loud they almost drowned out the Bruce Springsteen pounding through the speakers. “We understand the challenges of student loans because we’ve been there” Obama declared, pointing out that her and her husband were just able to pay off their loans in recent years. While stating, “young people are at the core of this campaign.” She also was careful to point out that “we’re also proud of our not so young folks, you cannot forget the not so young folks.” Jokingly saying there is “nothing like the grip of an 80-year-old who wants a picture.”
This was an interesting campaign stump in an even more interesting election. We as students should feel honored that our humble little school, in the midst of the urban desert, was deemed an important enough place to spread a message in a very important election. This election that will go down history and hopefully prove to everyone that sometimes the people can make a difference.
COLLEGIATE|Review
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