Some AU students who had tickets to President Barack Obama's inauguration last week but were unable to view it said they do not plan to claim the free commemorative items offered by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inauguration Ceremonies.
Committee spokeswoman Carole Florman told The Washington Post that ticketholders in the event's purple section who were unable to see the Inauguration will be able to receive copies of the invitation and program, as well as a color print of the ceremony and photos of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Alana Coleman, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs who had a purple ticket to the Inauguration, was unable to see the event but said she was not interested in the memorabilia because she had already received similar items.
"A ticket to another conference or something he's going to be at, that would be nice," she said.
Coleman said she waited at the gate beginning at 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 20. Lack of police allowed people to cut in front of her, she said.
Although Florman told the Post article that ticketholders should check the committee's Web site early this week for instructions on claiming the commemorative items, nothing regarding the items had been posted as of Wednesday afternoon. A source inside the JCCIC was not sure if or when it would be posted.
Doug Bojack, a sophomore in the School of International Service, said he had a ticket to stand in the silver section but was unable to find any signs directing him where to enter. Bojack said he did not plan on collecting the commemorative items because he thought he would have to give up his ticket if he did.
"It's a nice gesture, but I'm not going to take them up on it," he said. "I'm going to hold onto my ticket. It's more memorable."
Ticketholders should contact the committee for the items and that they would not be required to give up their tickets to receive them, according to a source inside the JCCIC.
The gifts should start being shipped next week, she said.
Coleman said she did not feel the gifts were necessary, even after the trouble she had been through.
"I waited six-and-a-half hours for nothing," she said. "But what's done is done," Coleman said. "I'm not harboring any bad feelings about it, and I definitely wasn't expecting any monetary compensation. I just felt bad for the tons of people I met who got on planes and paid for hotels and didn't get in."
Bojack also said he did not feel the committee needed to offer the gifts.
"An apology would be nice," he said.
You can reach this staff writer at crice@theeagleonline.com.
