Obama to visit USC campus this Friday, 99ers should be there to greet him

The president will give a speech open to the general public at 1:30 p.m. on October 22 at McCarthy Quad, USC said James Grant, assistant vice president of USC media relations.

Jason Duong, director of the USC Political Student Assembly (the group hosting the event) said he was contacted by university officials after Obama’s staff asked to come to USC.

“I was in disbelief when I got the call,” Duong said. Duong’s major focus now is to get as many students as possible to attend, regardless of their political inclinations. “Whether they like him or not, this is definitely something that’s great for the university,” Duong said. “I’d encourage all students to come see what he has to say.”

Obama will join the ranks of several prominent politicians who have come to USC either as president or a presidential hopeful, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The most recent sitting president to speak on campus was Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Students said they are excited to have the opportunity to hear the president speak and hope he can motivate students to vote by talking about issues that matter to them.

“He’s faced a lot of voter apathy in our generation, and it’s very important for people to vote, whether they are Democrats or Republicans and be involved politically,” said Mason Flink, a graduate student studying motion picture production. “If he can inspire students to get involved by coming to campus, it’s a good thing.”

Nelson Brooks, a junior majoring in business administration, said although he probably won’t attend the speech and doesn’t share the same political beliefs as Obama, he still thought the visit was important for the university.

“It’s definitely a privilege for our school to host him,” Brooks said. “Regardless of political party, he’s the president of the most powerful country in the world, and that is a huge honor for our school.”

Any member of the 99er Nation should do their best to gather on the streets the President will use to get to the USC Campus and bring signs that remind the President that the 99ers need help now. This will be a huge media event and the 99ers could well get the attention of the press and the President, by doing do.