Don’t fret, readers: you now have a chance to get tickets for the McCain – Obama forum! In an email sent just before noon, President Bollinger officially announced the details for the event and ticket process behind it. All one has to do is register online here between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. tomorrow (Friday). Winners will be notified on Monday.

As for the odds, it appears that almost every Columbia student is eligibile, and preliminary reports indicate that, this time, all the schools have actually recieved the email before tickets disappear. Furthermore, a senior administration official tells Bwog that not all the remaining tickets will go towards students. In other words, the percent chances are almost certainly in the single digits.  

For those of you who don’t get a ticket, “alternative viewing options for those unable to attend are being arranged.” Full email is below the jump.

President Lee C. Bollinger is pleased to announce that on Thursday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m., the “ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum” will be held at Columbia University in the Roone Arledge Auditorium of Alfred Lerner Hall as part of the ServiceNation Summit 2008. New York Governor David A. Paterson will open the program, followed by remarks by Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. Moderated by TIME Magazine Editor Richard Stengel and PBS NewsHour Anchor Judy Woodruff, the forum will offer both candidates a national stage to discuss the role of service in America.

The limited available seating will be open only to Columbia University students through a lottery system.  Alternative viewing options for those unable to attend are being arranged.  Please continue to check the University homepage for updates.

In order to register for the lottery, you must be a current student at one of the following schools: Columbia Business School; Columbia College; College of Dental Medicine; College of Physicians and Surgeons; Barnard College; Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; the Journalism School; Mailman School of Public Health; School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation; School of Continuing Education; the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; School of General Studies; School of International and Public Affairs; Columbia Law School; School of Nursing; School of Social Work; School of the Arts; and Teachers College.

Students must register for the lottery online on Friday, September 5, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at: https://calendar.columbia.edu/sundial/webapi/register.php?eventID=25241.

The subsequent drawing for the lottery will be monitored by students and lottery winners will be notified via email on Monday, September 8.  Students must pick up tickets in person with a valid student ID card. Tickets are non-transferable. Please be aware that on the day of the event, doors will open at 4:30 p.m. and close at 6:30 p.m.

The ServiceNation Summit is co-chaired by Caroline Kennedy; Alma Powell, chair of America’s Promise Alliance; Richard Stengel, editor of TIME; Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York; and Bill Novelli, chief executive officer of AARP. The summit is underwritten by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation and presented by TIME, AARP, and Target.

Please visit www.columbia.edu or call 212-854-7328 for event details.