A trip to Obama's inauguration

Inauguration tickets are on every political junkie's holiday wish list this year.

But falling short of that, the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life is getting a lucky group of students as close as possible.

At midnight on Jan. 20, a bus full of Penn students will leave campus bound for Washington, D.C. to take in inauguration festivities as President-elect Barack Obama is sworn into office.

VPUL is partnering with the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and the Undergraduate Assembly to reach out to interested students, and intends to fully fund the trip for 46 students and six professors.

"The day will be hectic," said UA chair Wilson Tong, a College and Wharton senior, "but we hope to get there by 4 a.m. before inauguration activities start at 9 a.m."

Undergraduate and graduate students will be allocated an equal share of the available positions, with two undergraduate positions reserved for UA members.

Tong said the trip is a "great initiative" and thanked VPUL for reaching out to the UA and GAPSA to put it together.

Students will be randomly chosen through a UA or GAPSA lottery, available in school-wide e-mails sent out over the weekend.

Recently, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies released that the entire length of the National Mall will be open to the public, far exceeding the extent of the inauguration ticket section.

Tong expected students to be able to view the inaugural parade, and other afternoon activities that "don't require an inauguration ticket."

Students will also meet with a prominent Penn alumnus in Washington following the ceremony, although VPUL has not determined who that person will be.

College sophomore, former Daily Pennsylvanian advertising representative and newly-elected Penn Democrats President Jordan Levine noted that he hoped active students on campus would have a chance to attend.

"People are definitely interested," Levine said. "But for those who can't go, we'll be organizing events on campus, as well."

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