Staff members attend historic Obama inauguration

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A. Sue Weisler

A few of the RIT staff members who will attend the presidential inauguration are, clockwise from left, Thomas Warfield, Paul Ferber, Will Dube, Renee Brownstein and Catherine Clark.

The tickets to the 2009 presidential inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama were hot commodities. Even without a ticket to the ceremony, many have made plans to travel to Washington, D.C., to be one of the millions along the parade route to the Capitol. One of those who secured a ticket is Thomas Warfield, professor at NTID. “I’m excited to be there. This will be hectic and chaotic with so many people,” he says, “but on the other hand this is a monumental moment.”

Warfield joins Ed Wolf, student government president; Deborah Stendardi, vice president for government and community relations; Cindee Gray, assistant vice president for government and community relations; Renee Brownstein, associate director, human resources, and Paul Ferber, chair of the political science department in the College of Liberal Arts, along with Will Dube, of University News, who will be part of history in the making. Campus members secured tickets through the offices of area congressional representatives and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.

“From man’s landing on the moon to Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, there are just some historical events that happen once in a lifetime,” says Wolf. “I am excited that I will be able to share a part of American history with my friends, family and countrymen.”

There are more than a million people expected to descend on Washington next week. Warfield will attempt to blog or stream visuals from his cell phone to friends back in Rochester, including colleagues at RIT.

For those who won’t be traveling to Washington for the inauguration, you can still ‘attend’ the ceremony here at RIT. Students, faculty and staff can join to mark this historic occasion via telecast on Tuesday, Jan. 20, in Clark Gym. RIT will celebrate with others across the country as the 44th President of the United States is sworn in at the U.S. Capitol.

The gym doors will open at 10:30 a.m. for mingling and light refreshments, followed by a brief welcome from Provost Jeremy Haefner. The swearing- in ceremony and presidential address will be broadcast on a large screen in the gym at 11:30 a.m.

The get together at RIT, similar to the event in Washington is a way to “build unity and collective pride—even as we hear about people who may have lost jobs and have all that swirling around us,” Warfield adds. “It’s an opportunity to get caught up in the hope.”

The on-campus event is sponsored by the Center for Residence Life, the Office of the President, Student Government, Student Affairs, the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs, the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer and The President’s Commission on Pluralism and Inclusion and the Office of the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration.

“This will be a unique opportunity to witness history in the making,” says Stendardi. “It’s an exciting and hopeful time for the country. I knew that if I had the chance to be there, it would be something that I could not miss.”