Students brought the indoors outside Friday evening, redecorating the sidewalks with everything from tents and futons to televisions.
More than 1,000 people lined up Saturday to get free tickets to see “A Conversation with David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey” on Nov. 26.
The line became an event itself, looping around Emens Auditorium, past University Theatre, around Bracken Library and Pruis Hall, ending by the John R. Emens Auditorium parking garage.
AT THE FRONT
First in line were senior advertising major Graham Becher and junior information systems major Alyssa Villablanca, who camped out at 11 a.m. Friday.
“We figured that there would be a lot of people here, especially since these are free tickets and it’s Oprah,” Villablanca said. “And when is another time that Oprah is going to be in Muncie, Indiana?”
Just to see Oprah, Becher and Villablanca came an hour and half from their home in Brownsburg.
“I really, really wanted these tickets, and I was willing to sacrifice 22 hours to get them,” Becher said. “I am glad it is going to pay off.”
Villablanca said she expected the event to run a little like black Friday, with crazy stampedes, so she and Becher made plans early on to ensure they get prime seating.
“We have created allies with people up in the front who are super Oprah fans and have been here for a long time, too, to make sure that no one jumps the line.” Villablanca said. “There’s been some people who have openly said they aren’t going to the end of the line, and they are planning on cutting.”
Becher said he missed one thing most of all.
“I wish there were more bathrooms open,” he said. “It’s going to be a late night, and no where is open.”
ABOUT HALF WAY
Alex Westrick came to wait in line at 9:30 p.m. and said he was surprised by how many students were out in the 50-degree weather.
“When we first got here we were like, ‘Wow, man, we are really far behind,’ and now of course [at 11:30 p.m.], we are the half-way point in the line,” he said.
The freshman telecommunications major said waiting in line was entertaining.
“Naturally at things like these, every 25 to 30 people or so there’s that dude with the acoustic guitar who can kind of play so that’s adding a little entertainment,” Westrick said. “We have plenty of people out here just getting in big circles discussing the election, so if you want to go from a serious conversation to a funny one, you just need to skip over a group.”
For Westrick, going without sleep for more than 24 hours is a reasonable trade to see Oprah and Letterman live, he said.
“Word on the street is Oprah and Letterman do not care for each other too much, so I think that could add another dynamic to the interview.” he said. “Also I hear in the past it’s just been very funny, what Letterman can bring to the table as far as comedy goes. I’m excited to see it.”
Winfrey and Letterman did indeed “feud” for 16 years, with no reason ever confirmed. The late-night and daytime hosts resolved the feud, though, in December 2005. Winfrey appeared on Letterman’s show for the first time since he made the switch from NBC to CBS in 1993, according to a 2005 Associated Press report.
FILLING UP EMENS
Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president of Marketing and Communications, said all the students who waited in line overnight received tickets.
From the time ticket windows opened at 8:45 a.m. at the Emens Auditorium Box Office to the time ticket sales ended at 12:20 p.m., all 3,300 available tickets for Emens Auditorium were distributed. Approximately 225 of the 640 available tickets for the live telecast in Pruis Hall were distributed.
Approximately 2,650 of the Emens tickets went to students in line, while the remaining 650 tickets of the 3,300 were reserved. Proudfoot said 200 were reserved for the College of Communications, Information and Media; 200 were reserved for faculty and staff; and 250 were reserved for Letterman and Winfrey’s guests.
Any of the unused reserved tickets will be redistributed to the general public today during regular box office hours.
BUMPS ALONG THE LINE
The University Police Department was called twice. The first time was regarding an intoxicated girl who was sick.
The second call was around 3:20 a.m. after water balloons were thrown at the line. When police officers arrived, they found that although some electronics had gotten wet and one man walking past had gotten hit, nothing was broken and no one was injured.
Hannah Peterson, a junior speech-language pathology major, and her fellow resident assistant Kathryn Brewer were the ones who called the police out of precaution, and they said they felt reassured by how quickly the four cars responded.
“They were really fast,” Peterson said. “As RAs, we have to call them a lot.”
Brewer said it was the fastest they had seen police arrive after a call.
Sophomore telecommunications major Connor Fak waited since 8 p.m. Friday to get his ticket.
“No riots, no fights. Some cutting [in line], but no one died; it was a good night overall — as far as refugee camps go,” Fak said. “Now, we can go get warm inside.”
Adam Baumgartner and Jack Smith contributed to this story.
