President Obama to visit the University of Richmond on Friday
The President will speak to the public at the UR campus on Friday shortly before noon. Tickets are free and will be available starting tomorrow.
President Obama will appear in Richmond on Friday, September 9 at the University of Richmond at about 11:30am. The President is expected to speak about, and garner support for, a jobs plan that he will announce to a joint session of Congress tomorrow. President Obama will speak in the Robins Center.
The event is both free and open to the public. Tickets may be acquired the day before the President’s visit at the University of Richmond Modlin Center, at 28 Westhampton Way, on a first come, first serve basis between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. As of Wednesday afternoon, it is unknown how many tickets will be made available for the public.
University of Richmond officials caution the public that parking will be limited on campus, and people are encouraged to take UR shuttles and to use GRTC bus lines. It is expected that the UR will provide a website that will contain more logistical information about the President’s visit and the event itself. UR is expected to provide satellite parking, as Friday is a standard work day for UR students, faculty, and staff.
RVANews will update this story as more information becomes available.
UPDATE
University of Richmond has added a page to their website about the President’s visit. Below is information on how the University will provide parking and transportation:
The University of Richmond is providing “Park and Ride” shuttle service starting at 6:30 a.m. from the following locations:
- City Stadium (3201 Maplewood Ave, Richmond VA 23221): Upon arrival at the Freeman Road lot, you will be provided with a parking permit for your car to remain at City Stadium. Buses will depart from Freeman Rd. and Grant St. At the conclusion of the event you will be shuttled back to the City Stadium lot.
- University of Richmond Downtown Campus (626 E. Broad St., Richmond VA 23219): Parking here is not provided, but it will be a convenient pick-up location for anyone coming from downtown Richmond. Buses will depart from Broad St. At the conclusion of the event you will be shuttled back to UR Downtown.
There is limited parking available on campus in the Robins Center lot. To reach this lot drive west on River Road, turn right on College Road, and make your way toward the Robins Center. Parking will be directed on site. Carpooling is strongly recommended.
In addition, GRTC Route 16 provides service to the heart of the university. Passengers would disembark at Tyler Haynes Commons, which is just a short walk across campus to the Robins Center. Please refer to the GRTC website for route times for Friday, September 9, 2011.
Here is what the University is saying about security procedures and access for the Friday event:
The event will be held at the Robins Center on the University of Richmond campus (23 Boatwright Drive, Richmond VA 23173). Entry is through the North Entrance doors.
Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are required for entry.
Guests should be prepared for airport-like security and are advised to plan accordingly for lines. Guests are asked to bring as few personal items as possible. No bags, sharp objects, umbrellas, liquids, or signs will be allowed in the venue. Cameras are permitted.
photo by U.S Embassy Kabul Afghanistan
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Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
I think it’s great that he’s visiting Richmond to make the pitch but he’d get a much better reception at VCU!
Well, I hope UR properly plans and navigates this event in the interest of the students. Providing a forum to comment, I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to do so about just one of many interesting aspects of the school As a commuter student, not only do we have to navigate parking regulations that read like the U.S. Tax Code, but when there are Spider games or other events on campus, students are not allowed to park in their lots to go to class. For the tuition rates at UR, you would think that they could hire people who are more able to manage these types of administrative matters. My daughter, a student at VCU and I had this conversation with the impending appearance of the President and she indicated that VCU always insures that the students have priority access. At least at VCU there is the option of street parking whereas at UR you are hostage to the campus and to their complex policies.
In UR’s defense, having worked in the admin there for a number of years, parking is extremely limited and the office is always under fire from students, faculty, and staff (especially staff). Rest assured that the skimpy parking around the Robins Center is nowhere near enough to accommodate game attendees and that they, too, are parking wherever they can (often across campus). The University has fought hard with the GRTC about keeping the Westhampton line open and offers assistance with bus passes to encourage use of public transport, which, as we all know, is RVA’s Achilles heel. But like you said, UR doesn’t have VCU’s street parking advantage and can only expand so far without running into people’s back yards. If Obama was speaking at VCU, it would be complete and utter downtown mayhem, and you’d have students, professionals, and residents in an uproar about how they can’t get to their classes/businesses/homes. I’d say, for an event like this that is pretty dang important, you’re just going to have to expect some headaches.