Campus celebrates Obama inauguration at Clark Gym

For those who won’t be traveling to Washington, D. C. for the 2009 Inauguration of Barack Obama, you can still ‘attend’ the ceremony while here at RIT.

RIT will celebrate “A New Birth of Freedom” with others across the country as the 44th President of the United States is sworn in at the U.S. Capitol at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20 in the Clark Gym.

The gym will be open at 10:30 a.m. for participants to view some of the preliminary events on a large screen in the gym. Light refreshments will be available for guests. From 10:50 to 11:10 a.m. Provost Jeremy Haefner, Chief Diversity Officer Alfreda Brown and Student Government Vice President Matt Danna will greet guests and provide opening remarks.

“People from all over the world will be watching this inauguration. It is such an important moment for our country, regardless of party lines, and we wanted to share the day with our friends and colleagues on campus,” says Lisa Nolan, community enrichment coordinator in the Center for Residence Life, and one of the event planners.

The swearing in ceremony and presidential address will be at 11:30 a.m. The broadcast is captioned, and requests for interpreters have been made.

There will also be a slide show commemorating the election season with photos taken by several RIT students. Participants will be able to write their impressions of the inauguration and what it means to them on a community board. The materials will be displayed throughout the inauguration ceremony.

This 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.