Dear Neighbors:

The University of Denver is proud to host the first presidential debate of the 2012 campaign next Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness on our campus.

This is the first presidential debate ever to be held in Colorado, and we are proud to partner with the City and County of Denver to bring a national and international spotlight to our important state in this election.  We expect more than 4,000 members of the national and international media to arrive in the next few days.  Thank you for your patience and cooperation with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The information below will help you plan around and take advantage of some of the exciting debate-related events happening at the University in the next few days. Please note that some of these events will affect parking and road closures in the neighborhood.

 Debate Events

The presidential debate will take place from 7–8:30 p.m. on Oct. 3. Detailed information on all debate-related activities can be found at www.debate2012.du.edu.  You will find information on a variety of public events the University has created to celebrate the debate and deepen understanding of key political topics.

Neighborhood Impact

From Monday, Oct. 1, through Wednesday, Oct. 3, some areas on campus will be closed. The University of Denver will not hold classes on Oct. 3.  Expect some heavy traffic and potential delays on University Boulevard.  Please use Downing or Colorado Boulevard as alternate routes.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1:

Buchtel Boulevard: South-bound lane (one lane only running west to east) will be closed between High Street and University Boulevard.

Sept. 30-Oct. 4:

There will be no parking on the north side of Buchtel from High Street to University Boulevard.

Oct. 1-through Oct. 3:

At some point on Oct. 2, Buchtel Boulevard will be fully closed from High Street to University.   Asbury Avenue also will be closed from High Street to University.

Additionally, a small section of South York Street, the 2300 block — between Iliff and Wesley avenues — will be closed to traffic. There will be no street parking on Oct. 3, starting early in the morning.

Current plans call for the RTD Light Rail system to be operating on Oct. 3.  Please watch the RTD website— www.rtd-denver.com—for updates to all routes that run through the University area.

Things will start getting back to normal on Oct. 4.

Tickets

The debate is produced and sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD, www.debates.org), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that controls all aspects of debate production, including participant selection, format and moderators. Tickets for the debate will not be available to the general public, nor can they be purchased. The University of Denver will be allocated a limited number of tickets by the CPD. These will be given to students, distributed via a random lottery.

If you have any questions for us, please write us at [email protected].

Regards,

Kevin A. Carroll, Vice Chancellor and Chief Marketing Officer