ASUNews

I know that I said that the May 21 post was my last, but I lied. I just want to quickly mention that if you weren’t able to see the live version of commencement, check out the two minute recap on the Arizona State University homepage. The video has scenes from the day including graduates celebrating their achievements, Michael Crow’s introduction speech and of President Obama’s address to the graduates. It is just a quick overview of the day that highlights the most important moments. You can find other video’s surrounding commencement, including the full speeches made by Michael Crow and President Obama on the homepage as well. Enjoy!

http://asunews.asu.edu/20090514_quicklook

It’s the morning after commencement, and the Media Relations office is very quiet. We all have “Obama hangover” as we like to call it. Most of us did not leave the ceremony until after 11 p.m. It was worth it though. Everyone had a lot of fun and let’s be honest, how often do you get to see the president in person? President Obama’s speech was heartfelt and honest. He is truly an amazing man, and I think he gave hope to the graduates who are preparing to go out into a less than stellar job market. I love that he joked about ASU’s decision not to give him an honorary degree. It shows he has a sense of humor.

As for today, we are handling media calls asking for copies of the speech and official comments about different aspects of the ceremony. We are also trying to get the latest edition of Insight distributed around campus. It, of course, is the “President Obama” addition, and has details about the events of the night.

 Tom Story, our photographer, is running around trying to capture the events of the other convocations taking place. We also have videographers trying capture those events on film. For a list of details about ASU’s convocations check out ASU.edu.

Well, that is it for me. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. I also hope that I was able to provide details about commencement from an insider’s perspective.  Thanks!

P.S.  I found the Red Vine from Alice Cooper in my purse this morning - which made me laugh.

I know this sounds cheesy, but it’s hard not to get caught up in the moment. President Crow’s introduction of President Obama was a detailed outline of the journey our president went through in his career as a teacher and now president. President Crow asked how do you introduce someone who has touched the lives of so many people, and brought hope to a country at a time when we needed someone to take stand a create change? It is nearly impossible, but I think Crow’s speech expressed the greatest appreciation of ASU toward President Obama for taking the time to be here with us.

President Obama received a standing ovation and congratulated all of the graduates on their accomplishments. He also apologized for “stealing” Janet Napolitano from our state. He also mentioned the elephant in the room, that being the entire honorary degree fiasco. He joked about not picking the Sun Devils for his NCAA basketball tournament pool, and now auditing Michael Crow. The president said that he agrees that he has not done enough in his career.  President Obama said that there is always more to be done and achieve. He used this to relate to graduates that they as well “can’t rest.” They have much more to achieve in their careers.

Our leader talked about graduates entering a market that is suffering. He mentioned that many are trying to find jobs while dealing with the burden of student loans. To all of these problems the president responded by saying working together to change this country will be the key to our success as a people.

I never realized what a powerful and eloquent speaker President Obama is. He barely looked down at his speech, and spoke with such fervor for change and a bright future.  I think he inspired everyone in his presence. The president closed by calling out each degree and telling them how they can inspire change. I think his presence and candidacy alone already accomplished that.

No offense Michael Crow, but we want President Obama! President Crow is thanking the faculty, staff, families of graduates, and all of the graduates for their hard work.

Crow even quoted President Obama, by telling the graduates to focus of their dreams and make them a reality. President Obama's quote came from a speech he made recently about graduates heading out into the world.

The opening processional has begun. Distinguished faculty and graduates are marching out to take their seats. Next will be the presentation of the colors, the national anthem, and then an address from President Crow.

I just realized that there are snipers up on the top tier of the stadium - making sure the president stays safe.

President Obama has just taken the stage along with President Michael Crow. The feeling in the stadium is surreal. Everyone is on their feet snapping pictures. I have goosebumps! It is truly an honor to have the president at our graduation.

Commencement entertainment has come to a close. As if a live concert from Alice Cooper was not awesome enough, we now get the pleasure of listening to The Rolling Stones and The Who through the speakers while we wait. 

I just got word from White House staff said that they are sending out copies of President Obama’s speech to the media in a few minutes. Everyone is scattering about the press box trying to make sure they are prepped and ready to start writing. The photographers are taking their places as well. Secret service is on the field and lining the stage.

The president is currently making his way from the airport to the stadium. Thankfully he has a motorcade to get him here otherwise we would be waiting all night with the traffic in Tempe.  All of the major TV anchors are doing their updates and countdowns to the big moment. It's cool to see everyone gathered together, and watch real journalists in action.

Air Force One has just flown over Sun Devil Stadium! President Obama is on his way!

I just got word from other news outlets that Air Force One is on time and scheduled to land at Sky Harbor at 5:50 p.m. They are starting to close down access to the field in preparations.

All graduates have been asked to take their seats. All graduates must be seated before President Obama takes the stage. Secret service is already starting to take their places as well.  The field is completely shaded now, which is good for the graduates.

Apparently the vendors here at the stadium are profiting from everyone having to get here at 2:30. The lines to get food are growing as more time passes.  I just went to get food myself from the press box’s food room. We have fresh fruit, cookies and wraps available. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

I just met Alice Cooper! Apparently Alice is performing at 6 p.m., and stopped by the press box to do some interviews. For a brief 10 seconds he knew my name, and I was lucky enough to even get a picture with him.

He was super cool and his wife was very sweet as well. The local media and other PR folks were all snapping pictures in the hallway as well. He then ate some Red Vines that Gary Campbell brought for us to snack on. On his way out, Alice gave me one of those Red Vines so I could have a keepsake from the experience. Ebay anyone? Just kidding.

Aside from our celebrity meet and greet, everyone is checking their equipment and making sure their crews are all set for the president’s speech. Right now the Mariachi ASU band is on stage entertaining the graduates and their families. When they are done there will be a few other performances all leading up to Alice Cooper’s.

The seats are quickly filling up as we get closer to the start of commencement. From the press box you can see all the graduates and families desperately fanning themselves. Half the field is already covered by the shade, giving relief to those lucky enough in those sections. That’s it for now!

I just got into the press box, and I’m so glad to be out of the heat! Security was a breeze. I just walked through the metal detector and had a police officer search my bags.

Right now all of the press and news anchors are starting to file in and stake out their positions. The graduates are going to start showing up around 2:30pm. I feel really bad because they have to sit out there and bake in the heat until commencement begins. You would think that a stadium in Arizona would at least have misters for the summer months! Excitement is in the air though, and we are all getting ready for the action to start. I will keep you posted on the latest happenings!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Natasha and I am Journalism senior at ASU. As part of my job in the Media Relations Department, I will be keeping a blog today dedicated to everything commencement. I’m going to give you access  to all of the behind the scenes craziness including what is going here in Media Relations office, the press box and the commencement  stadium. This will all lead up to President Obama’s arrival and speech. If there is anything you want to say, feel free to leave me comments or questions. However just to clear the air now, I cannot get you into the ceremony, nor can I get you an autograph from the president.  If for some reason the stars so align and I actually get to meet him, I can assure you that autograph is going to me. Sorry!

Personally I am very excited. I get to sit in the press box and watch the who’s who of international, national, and local news writers, editors, and anchors work. This is definitely going to be an awesome learning experience. I will secretly be taking notes about how things are done, and watch how they cover the scenes.  

So what does the office look like now? Everyone is running around sending last minute emails about media access and seating, and trying to make sure all of the press kits are finished. Our social media group (including yours truly) is making sure the commencement page is up and running, along with the Twitter site and other new feeds. I’ve also been handling media calls and doing some last minute copying of different lists. People have been in and out all morning, and are now starting to make their way over to the stadium. You can feel it is definitely the deep breath before the storm.

The last few days have been a frenzy. Everyone in the office has been doing interviews about what to expect and relaying the statistics of the graduation itself. There have been meetings with secret service in which we get the rules and regulations about who can be where and the credentials needed to even get in the stadium. Getting media credentials alone has taken up the majority of the time at the office.  Preparing for President Obama had not been an easy task, but it is going to be worth it!