Tickets for former Vice President Al Gore’s free lecture went so quickly last week, ETSU officials decided to move it to the Mini-Dome.
Initially, the event was to be held in the Martha Street Culp Auditorium.
“I thought that was kind of ridiculous that they chose such a small place like that,” said Junior Clarissa Bradley. “I felt like it was selling the student body short.”
Others, like freshman Matt Hickman, didn’t even try to get tickets after they learned the lecture would be in the auditorium.
“When you’re bringing in someone this large, you need something a little bigger than the Culp Center Auditorium,” he said.
The auditorium, which can only seat about 900 people, seemed to be a rather small venue for a former vice president and winner of two Academy Awards to give a lecture. The tickets, which were available for students to pick up last Thursday, ran out in less than an hour.
”At that point, we began working with Al Gore’s staff,” said ETSU spokesperson Joe Smith. Gore prefers a smaller venue where he can show a visual presentation in a more intimate setting, he said.
When the College of Public Health made the announcement this winter, they received hundreds of phone calls from people who were excited about the lecture. Initially, the lecture could be seen live in the auditorium and also via video broadcast in the Culp Ballroom and in Rogers-Stout Hall. This plan would accommodate up to 1,700 people, said Smith.
Because the tickets were distributed so quickly, however, the College of Public Health worked with Gore’s staff to move the lecture to the Mini-Dome.
“I was really happy they were able to move it to the Mini-Dome just so that more people can come,” said SGA president TJ Mitchell. “If you look at the lectures that he does, they’re usually in smaller settings.”
At noon Wednesday, the additional tickets were distributed in the Culp Center and were gone by 1:40 p.m. “Over 4,000 people have gotten tickets,” said Smith. “We’re really happy. I think it’s incredible to have this kind of interest.”
The lecture, which begins at 7 tonight, will not be featuring a visual presentation because of the venue change. All tickets previously picked up for the auditorium lecture will still be valid, Smith said.

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