Pictured: The Republican Victory Center in Farmville at debate time. Image by: Lindsay Manning

On Tuesday night, the Republican Victory center had a small crowd show up to view the Vice Presidential Debate, but it was not because of a lack of support. Instead, a lot of those who would have been there to watch the debate got to be involved with the night’s activities.

According to Kathy Brodie, a volunteer at the center, a call came in that evening before the debate that called for “double volunteers.” These volunteers’ jobs included ushering in the debate hall, holding signs for prominent figures in the media center, and even carting around Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump to important locations on campus, such as his post debate interview with CNN.

When asked about the debate, Brodie talked highly of Pence’s reserved demeanor. During the debate the two candidates had different approaches: Pence’s calm handling of questions, and Kaine with a plan to focus the debate on Trump’s missteps. Pence spent most of the debate sidestepping the assaults on Trump while Kaine tried to lay down pressure.

Brodie’s response to the questions was that she felt they were more “balanced” and “thorough” than those at the Presidential Debate. She also stated that the candidates “answered in the way I expected politicians to answer questions in a debate.”

The answers were good from both sides, drawing applause from their supporters at Longwood University’s viewing party. The only real issue was that both candidates had a tendency to ignore the questions and focus on their party’s agenda. This caused negative reactions on Twitter.

Both Brodie, and Department Chair, Cindy Koether were proud to have the debate in Farmville. Brodie worked in the media center with Matt Schlapp from the American Conservative Union, and Koether’s husband, Dr. Robb Koether of Hampden Sidney College, was an usher during the evening.

Koether was glad to see the support for the Republican party, stating that she has seen many new faces arrive to support the party over the past few months. So the small audience in the Republican Victory Center was not because of lack of support, it was instead because of the large amount of support the party has been receiving in recent months was present at the debate.

By: Grant Cole & Chris Clements

Pictured: Salveson shows his support for Trump. Image by: Lindsay Manning

The CNN and MSNBC stages were crowded with Hillary supporters all day Tuesday during the coverage of the Vice Presidential Debate held at Longwood University. As the day went on the Trump supporters began to sprinkle in, and the first to take action at the MSNBC stage was supporter Jon Salveson.

When asked about the upcoming VP Debate, Salveson stated that he believed that Pence’s debate experience and “higher respectability” would put him ahead of Kaine on the debate stage. Salveson also has confidence that neither VP candidate will attack the presidential candidates, and both will prefer to stick to the issues in a more civil debate than the Presidential Debate at Hofstra earlier this year.

The Hofstra debate had Salveson wishing that Trump had put more effort into debate prep. “It’s a different ballgame from the Republican debates,” said Salveson, “The Republican debates [were] a lot easier because there wasn’t a lot of competition there. This is stronger. Hillary is very organized…” Salvison wants to see Trump put a bigger focus on the issues being discussed at the debates, to avoid being baited, and to learn to handle criticisms better.

Salveson plans to attend the Campus Debate Watch Party held at the Stubbs Mall to view the Vice Presidential Debate after being convinced to attend by President Reveley of Longwood University.

By: Grant Cole & Christopher Clements

The VP Jubilee was the home of many pre-debate activities at Longwood University, many of which were family friendly. Edgar Jones, business owner and Farmville native, was present with his family at the event. Jones was excited for the debate and what it meant for the university, and his hometown of Farmville.

Pictured: The Jones family enjoys a game of XL Connect 4 at the VP Jubilee. Image by: Lindsay Manning

Farmville has received various visual upgrades as the debate has drawn near, and Jones is proud to see his hometown shine. “… it’s neat to see the development of [the] town,” said Jones, “ From a business-community standpoint, it’s just helped spruce things up, and I think there has been a lot of excitement in town.”

Many murals in town have received a fresh coat of paint, and Longwood University has added a new entryway on High Street to help spiff up the town for the debate. Along with this, many people on campus could be heard talking of what a huge event this was for Farmville.

A joint effort from both Longwood, and the town has been made to make the debate a huge success. With all the media attention the town has been receiving, plus all the new faces in town for the debate, businesses are sure to see an increase in revenue from this event. Jones is proud to see his hometown working hard with the university for the success of each other, “…I’ve always wanted to see more partnership between Longwood and Farmville, and it’s happening everyday.”

On the subject of the presidential race, Jones sees this race as one to be remembered for years to come. He also sees the upcoming Vice Presidential debate as a huge booster for Longwood’s reputation and storied history.