It's not every election cycle that we see such high levels of interest in the candidates vying for the number two spot on the ticket.

Still, in this very close race, Thursday night's debate at Washington University could be very important.

Washington University resembled a normal campus on Thursday besides the satellites and security officers.

Many people at Washington University knew how important this debate could be and were thrilled to see history being made close to home.

"Senator Biden and Governor Palin have such strong personalities.  I don't know, I'm excited to see what they'll talk about and what the whole dynamic in the hall will be," student Julia Latish said.

Some are just old enough to vote.

"It's really starting to make us young voters think about those issues and who we're voting for and not necessarily a popularity contest," student Candice Harden said.

One student recently learned he'd been given a ticket to be inside the debate.

You can only guess his reaction.

"I mean, I was like fist pumping like crazy in a silent room by myself.  That explains it, it was crazy," said student Danny Gaynor.

But over in the Math Department, not everyone was so thrilled about the debate's location.

Mr. Guido Weiss is the oldest professor at Washington University. He said while strong politics could be a real economic fix, this debate seems artificial.

"Of course, I'm aware of the fact that you'll have to have all sorts of security measures, so I was not angry, but I was 15 minutes late," Weiss said.