Waiting for the president

Laura Gagliano and Jessica Marshall, both recent graduates of Williamsville East High School, are in front of Alumni Arena. Both waited seven hours at UB on Tuesday to secure general admission tickets to the event.

“It’s exciting because we are the students that the president plans to talk about,” says Gagliano, who plans to study communications this fall at John Carroll University.

Marshall, who will attend Cooper Union in Manhattan, says they’ve met some “great people” waiting in line this week.

Marion Grace of Williamsville is also in front of Alumni Arena. She voted for Obama, volunteered for his campaign, donated money toward it and attended his inauguration in Washington D.C. Suffice to say, she is a fan.

Her involvement in politics began in the early 1970s when she resided in California. Asked what Thursday’s event meant to her, she replies, “It’s special. He’s the greatest president. He really represents the people of this country and the people of this world.”

Event organizers begin to allow people inside Alumni Arena.

Max Mertel, originally from the Rochester area, is a graduate student in communication at UB. Despite waiting in line since 6:45 a.m., he is in good spirits outside the Center for the Arts.

“I’m feeling comfortable. I’m feeling excited. It’s a good atmosphere and a good crowd,” he says as people move steadily toward Alumni Arena.

Neil Singh and Manish Kulkarni, both from India, have been waiting almost as long as Mertel. They are near Slee Hall, not far from a few dozen protestors who are speaking out against hydro-fracking, the guilty verdict of soldier Bradley Manning and other issues.

Kulkarni, an MBA student, says he is concerned about the rising cost of higher education. He says he hopes Obama can work with Congress to secure and promote programs that help the middle class.

Neither Kulkarni nor Singh has ever seen Obama in person.

Jesse Mallen is standing outside The Commons. Having already earned an English degree from UB, he is now working toward a degree in computer science.

He says he hopes that Obama will address matters of privacy, such as the recently disclosed information that the National Security Agency has been conducting surveillance of U.S. citizens.

Standing on the sidewalk outside of Capen Hall, Kevin Lin says he is excited to see Obama. He is a doctoral candidate in UB’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

The crowd grows quiet, as the line is moving slower.

Carlone, the geology master’s student, has just stepped into the line, which snakes around the academic spine and ends between Park and O’Brian halls. Despite the long wait ahead of him, this is an opportunity that he can’t pass up.

“I’d like to be able to tell people that I saw Obama,” he said.

The crowd eventually made its way into Alumni Arena. People roared as Obama, shown on the video screen above the basketball floor, stepped out of Air Force One at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

As the audience waited for the president, jazz music filled lulls between the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem and remarks from UB President Satish K. Tripathi, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and UB student Silvana D’Ettorre, who introduced the president.