Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Bill Clinton Speaks at ASU Campus

Story by Anna Oakes and Garrett Simmons

Hundreds packed Varsity Gym on the Appalachian State University campus Tuesday afternoon to see former President Bill Clinton at a Hope for America rally in support of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Hours before Clinton arrived, long lines of students and members of the public waiting to enter the gym wrapped around campus buildings and along Rivers Street. The doors opened at 3:15 p.m., and the crowd quickly filled the half-court space allotted for the rally. Officials allowed a couple hundred more to fill an upper-level balcony overlooking the court.

Following an introduction by former N.C. Attorney General and Boone native Rufus Edmisten, Clinton, 61, appeared before the largely 18 to 24-year-old crowd, and the spectators let out loud cheers at the sight of the former president.
Clinton stuck to a positive message highlighting Sen. Clinton’s proposed policies, occasionally criticizing the Bush administration but refraining from any negative comments about Sen. Clinton’s Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama. Such comments likely would have drawn audible reactions from the crowd that included a good deal of Obama supporters, like Melissa Koenig, 19.

“I’m just here to see an ex-president,” Koenig said, adding that she planned to go vote for Obama immediately following the rally.

The crowd also included supporters of the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain. “I’m most concerned about health care issues and Iraq,” said Jenna Melton, a freshman marketing major at ASU and McCain supporter. “I don’t expect [President Clinton] to say anything that will change my mind.”

President Clinton especially emphasized Sen. Clinton’s plans for green-collar jobs and renewable energy—ASU is known for its renewable energy and sustainable development programs—including energy-efficient government buildings, wind and solar energy, high-mileage vehicles and increased research and development.
“We have got to have higher mileage vehicles,” he said.

A reserved section to the left of the stage included Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson, Blowing Rock Mayor J.B. Lawrence, Watauga County Board of Commissioners Chair Jim Deal, ASU Chancellor Ken Peacock and ASU Student Body President Forrest Gilliam.

Outside the gym, Ben Logan, field coordinator for the Obama campaign in Boone, spoke through a megaphone and urged people waiting in line to go vote for Obama.

Representatives for the Clinton campaign contacted the ASU Student Government Association on Thursday, April 24, about a possible rally on campus. By that time, word had spread about Clinton’s scheduled appearance at Westglow in Blowing Rock on Tuesday.

On Sunday, a campaign official walked ASU’s campus with SGA President Forrest Gilliam to determine possible locations for the event.

Gilliam said he preferred Duck Pond Field, but the official decided on Varsity Gym because of weather and crowd-size concerns. The number of attendees at Tuesday’s rally were double what was expected.

Gilliam said the event came together smoothly, despite being so last-minute.
“We didn’t think it would actually happen until Monday,” he said. “We had to make a lot of adjustments, but the folks on campus were very cooperative.”