By Emma Johnson in Campus News, College Days on October 1, 2024
United States Vice President speculated to speak at birthplace of Republican party on October 3
As news spread overnight on Ripon College campus that it appears Vice President Kamala Harris will be visiting Thursday afternoon, students’ reactions have varied in positivity and anticipated engagement with the event.
Although campus officials and the Harris campaign aren’t confirming her visit, multiple signs point to the Democratic nominee’s attendance at Thursday’s event. While the email does not directly state that Vice President and Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris would be in attendance, it is implied that a “special guest” will be speaking to “Ripon College students, faculty, staff, retirees, Board members, and the greater campus community.”
Currently, according to the official Democrats of Wisconsin announcements via text, Vice President Harris is set to speak in the Fox Valley but the location is undisclosed to the general public. Now, with the release of Folse’s email, several students have expressed excitement about attending this kind of event coming to campus.
“I was elated to find out that we have an opportunity to hear a candidate speak,“ RC Dems President Hailey Krueger said. “Not only do I think it is important to share a campaign information and policy with new voters, I think it is even more important to remind people that their vote and voice does matter, and that just because we’re in a small area, it does not mean that we are not seen and heard, as shown by the choice made by the Harris Campaign to visit us here.”
With the influx of visitors to campus yesterday (Sept. 30), including local police and several board members of Ripon College, several students had suspected that something “big” was going to be happening.
“On Friday of last week, I ran into Dean Ogle outside of the OneCard office and he asked me who the President of RC Dems is,” senior and Student Senate secretary Amanda Von Ruden said. “… I did not think too much of it … Then today with all of the security on campus and [my friend] Bella [Bohm] walking up to me saying that someone is coming to campus, I put it all together that it must be some big Democrat coming to campus.”
But with enthusiasm comes contention. Through the online forum of Yik-Yak, several anonymous users have made comments about setting up a Trump rally to meet in the quads before the event, or “getting signs and booing along the sidewalks.”
“I have already started to see a response from the other side speaking in hypotheticals about a rally… on social media,” Krueger said. “All I have to say is ‘go ahead.’ Everyone is free to have their opinion and do as they wish, but I would like to remind them that for many, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear a presidential candidate’s campaign speak and to give the kind of courtesy that was given when Former Vice-President Pence was on campus a few years ago.”
Regardless of any opposition for the current Vice President of the United States, the email sent last night stated that “The Secret Service, along with local law enforcement, will sweep and secure the upper campus on Thursday.”
However, there is a middle ground: not attending at all. One student, sophomore Amir Williams, a registered voter, makes the note that with the canceled classes, that time can be dedicated to other things.
“I am going to be using the extra time to sleep and finish up homework,” Williams said.
With the unexpected visit, several student organizations and extracurricular activities had to be canceled to ensure safety across campus. One such organization feeling the effects is the Student Programming Council (SPC).
“I received an email from [President] Vicki Folse about the Harris Campaign coming to Ripon and that all classes and events would be canceled on Thursday,” SPC President Kenzie Brandsma said. “SPC had an event planned Thursday night from 6 to 8 p.m. at the fire pit. SPC had to quickly adapt given the circumstances and reached out to the SAO about rescheduling our event. SPC still has all the plans to have our outdoor picnic.”
Now, only two days before occurring and with limited details known, speculation exists about why Harris is even visiting Ripon in the first place.
“I think she’s [Kamala Harris] coming to Ripon because it has a historical basis for the birthplace of the Republican party,” senior Brogan Burke said. “This is Wisconsin, a swing-state, so I think that would be another main reason.”On March 20, 1854, it was in the Little White Schoolhouse in downtown Ripon that the Republican Party was formed, where several members met to protest the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act – an extension of slavery beyond the Missouri Compromise.
Centuries after the famed meeting, it will be Democrat presidential nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris that speaks to a crowd in Ripon, this time asking for their vote in November.