Welcome to Washington University in St. Louis, host of the 2008 vice presidential debate. The Office of Public Affairs is here to assist you as you cover the debate for your respective news organizations. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any assistance you might need during your stay here.
This online Media Kit is intended to provide quick and helpful links to information of importance to media covering the debate. If you’re having difficulty finding the information you need, please contact Gerry Everding at gerry_everding@wustl.edu or (314) 935-6375.
MEDIA ASSISTANCE
For emergencies, after-hour or deadline requests, use cell phones on this list of key Public Affairs Contacts.
For general assistance during business hours, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at (314) 935-5230.
You may also find us at the media information desks in the Athletic Complex lobby or the Media Filing Center.
HELP GETTING HERE, GETTING SET TO WORK
• Credentialing Information – CPD/Secret Service (USSS) credentials available for pick-up beginning Sept. 29 at the Media Welcome Center on third floor of Laboratory Sciences Building. Visit here for information on where and when to pick up your credentials, driving directions, parking options and locator maps for key debate-related campus buildings.
• Media FAQ – The most current information on parking, credentials and pre-debate coverage.
• Maps and directions to and around campus – Directions on how to reach the WUSTL campus by car, taxi or MetroLink. News media credentialing location and media vehicle route map also available.
• Media Rate Sheet – Information and order form for phones, furnishings, Internet connections, workstations and other services for media covering the debate, as well as a phone list of WUSTL vendor liaisons available to answer questions, solve problems.
NEWS RESOURCES, STORY IDEAS, EXPERTS SOURCES, STUDENT INTERVIEWS
• Debate Daybook/Events – A list of debate-related activities taking place on campus in September and October.
• Political Experts – WUSTL experts available for comment on presidential debates and campaigns, economics, education, terrorism and foreign policy. The University also offers free broadcast-quality videos and free VYVX and ISDN lines.
• Story Ideas – Debate story ideas about student perspectives, faculty expertise and campus events
• Past Debates at WUSTL – The University hosted the 1992, 2000 and 2004 presidential debates, and was selected to host the 1996 debate. (See also: High-resolution images from past debates at WUSTL.)
MULTIMEDIA NEWS RESOURCES
• Download broadcast-quality campus video footage – High quality video b-roll of WUSTL campus scenes, including nighttime and daytime aerial footage of the Danforth Campus, is available for download in both standard and high definition files. The b-roll, which can be previewed here in web-quality, is available for capture in three smaller segments at the broadcast-quality video download page.
• Debate video index page – Check out video interviews with WUSTL faculty experts and ongoing video coverage of debate-related student events, rallies and other programs on campus, with special video coverage of Debate Day events Oct. 2. New video features will be added as available in web-quality; broadcast quality, high-definition version may be available on request.
• High-Resolution Campus Images – High-resolution images of WUSTL’s Danforth and Medical campuses.
• Images of past debates at WUSTL – Download high-resolution images from 2004 and 2000 presidential debates at WUSTL.
FACT SHEETS, BACKGROUNDERS
• WUSTL Fact Sheet – Facts about the University’s people, academics, research, athletics and reputation.
• VP debate by the numbers– How many cookies, cows, cables and correspondents does it take to hold a debate?
• Athletic Complex (debate venue) – Site of the first Olympics in the Western Hemisphere and the first three-candidate presidential debate.
• Debate Sponsors – Information on debate sponsors Emerson, AT&T and Wachovia Securities.