After President Obama’s visit to N.C . State was announced Monday, I, along with the majority of the student body, had one goal—to get a ticket to see him speak. Not an hour after the announcement, my dad texted me to see if I was going to see Obama, and that he had seen Reagan when he came to campus in 1985. After talking with him, I realized the times might have changed, but the issues remain the same. 

The two days leading up to Obama’s speech involved nearly 12 hours of waiting and some sleeping on bricks to receive a ticket for a mere 25 minutes of inspirational remarks on the new piece of legislation geared to create jobs. Acquiring tickets for Reagan in 1985 was a lot less painful. They were distributed through a raffle system, much like our current football tickets today.

The day of the speech involved the same security measures seen in 1985; however, the arrival of the guest of honor reflected the difference in their personalities. Obama, who is not nearly as ostentatious, arrived by car from Air Force One. Reagan, on the other hand, made his grand entrance just that, with a landing of Marine One, the president’s helicopter, on the intramural fields.

Audience members showed up nearly four hours prior to both events, filling Reynolds to maximum capacity and sweating out of their clothes from the lack of AC. During each President’s speech the crowd went crazy, cheering in support for the individual Presidents, and what they were endorsing—restatements of their plans to fix America.

During Reagan’s pep rally, he discussed the importance of his proposal on tax reform to the American people and what it would mean for the students in the crowd. Obama demonstrated how his American Jobs Act would create jobs for young people graduating from college. Each President promised positive impacts on students in and leaving the collegiate atmosphere.

Whether Obama will deliver on his promise, is still questionable. As with Reagan, Obama’s main challenge for the act is to get it passed through Congress and gain the appropriate support from the public. We have the ability to voice our concerns to our representatives, but aside from that we are in a state of wait and see until Congress makes up its mind on whether or not to pass the bill.

After talking with my dad about his experience seeing Reagan, and comparing it with my experience with Obama, I feel while there are many differences, the issues remain the same, and just as students were holding their breath in 1985, we shall be doing the same.