Live Updates: The Big Night

9:50 p.m. Low Steps

As the forum drew to a close, the crowd cheered, but continued to hang around waiting by the steps.

9:25 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium

Obama said he thought ROTC should be allowed back on campus, which is met with applause in the auditorium and jeers on Low Steps.

"I recognize that there are students here who have differences in terms of military policy," Obama said, but thought that not offer Columbia students the option to serve in the military was a "mistake."

When Stengel mentioned Ahmadinejad, students on Low laughed.

9:20 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium

The senator spoke of his time working as a community organizer for a $12,000 salary, and acknowledged that committing full-time to service could be hard for young people who cannot afford it. He also found leadership opportunities limited in communities.

"The choices that we provide young people right now are too constrained," he said.

He proposed that students have the opportunity to do service work in exchange for help with college tuition, which the crowd responded to positively.

9:10 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium

Obama was questioned about the feasibility of his comprehensive national service plan, given that Bill Clinton's similar plans encountered problems from the unions.

"I think the times have changed since 1992," Obama said.

The audience cheered when he said service in the United States would need an "all hands on deck approach."

8:55 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium

Obama admitted to having a "slight home court advantage" at his alma mater, but thought that the neighborhood looked different from the last time he was here.

Following 9/11, Obama said that "the desire for service was on the minds of everyone," and that he would have called upon homeland security initiatives, as well as appealing to young people to engage in community and military service.

The crowd in the auditorium cheered when he spoke of engaging college students in community action.

8:52 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium

Obama walks on to cheers. McCain and Obama momentarily share the stage.

On Low steps, the crowd goes wild.

8:50 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium

McCain spoke of "American exceptionalism," and the spirit of the American people who are "deeply concerned about adhering to the principle that all of us are created equal."

Things then got slightly more political when he was asked about the "ugly tone" that the campaign had taken. The senator acknowledged that it had been a rough journey, but thought that the campaign would inspire record turn out.

8:35 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium

The audience in cheered when McCain said that he would appoint Barack Obama to his cabinet for service works. On Low Plaza, the crowd broke into laughter.

McCain also defended vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's comments during the convention questioning Obama's experience, given that he was a community organizer. He stressed the importance of working as both a community activist and a small-town mayor.

The senator then said that, if elected president, he would sign into effect a bill by senators Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy that would expand AmeriCorps.

"Government can't do it all," he said. "The essence of volunteerism starts at the grassroots level."

8:23 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium
In the first reference to Columbia by McCain, he criticized Columbia for its longstanding policy of not allowing the ROTC on campus, saying that he thinks students should be exposed to the "attractiveness" of serving. He did, however, say that he was proud that his daughter, Meghan, graduated from Columbia. In the auditorium, his ROTC remarks elicited applause.

On Low Plaza, the crowd got a little rowdy upon hearing McCain's ROTC response, although loud cheers broke out at the mention of Columbia.

8:15 p.m. Low Plaza
The TV is back up, but the crowd response to McCain was underwhelming. Meanwhile, in the first segment, McCain touched on his maverick role in Washington and his disgust for Washington politics. Now he's discussing disaster relief.

8:05 p.m. Low Plaza
As John McCain takes the stage in Roone, the jumbotron is down in Low Plaza. Meanwhile, on CNN, John McCain is kicking off his portion of the forum by drawing the connection between the memory of September 11, 2001, and the importance of public service.

7:55 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium
The moderators have taken the stage and the crowd told to applaud when CNN cuts in in a few minutes. There are still empty seats. Meanwhile, the jumbotron on Low Plaza is flickering in and out. Hopefully that will get worked out by the 8 o'clock start to the presidential forum.

7:48 Roone Arledge Auditorium
Inside, 20 seats at least are oddly empty and many in the audience are standing. Right now, a 9/11 victim is speaking, Liz Alderman, co-founder of peter c. alderman foundation: “The need is everywhere and is growing as war and civil strife continue to make headlines around the world.”

7:45 p.m. Low Plaza
As the event kicks off inside, Low resembles a giant slumber party with thousands of students camped out on blankets. After some earlier technical snafus with the large screen, there is palpable buzz in the air as the students take in the early speakers. Their reactions have hardly been surprising: loud cheers every time Obama is mentioned, silence for McCain.

7:40 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium

Tobey Maguire takes the stage.

7:28 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium
New York Governor David Paterson approaches the stage as spectators applaud loudly.

“I wish you were president while I was at Columbia," Paterson said to Bollinger. "Maybe I would have gotten out sooner.”

In addressing Roone Arledge, Paterson vigorously called for more funds to service. "Service cannot just be a temporary plan but a lifelong commitment," Paterson said. "We're going to be needing a president that believes in that type of service."

Paterson called Sept. 11, 2008, the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks, one of "the greatest collective service that this country has ever seen." He lauded Senators McCain and Obama's contributions to public service, and asked that whomever gets elected signs legislation that funds public service.

7:24 p.m. Roone Arledge Auditorium
University President Lee Bollinger takes the stage to welcome the guests. "Everytime a scientist enters the lab, ... or the professor mounts the podium, the cause of the common good is always in mind," Bollinger said. “On this very sight, in this building we’re now in, there once stood a building that was conceived specifically as Columbia’s Citizenship House. Today all of Columbia should be called Citizenship House.”

7:20 p.m., Roone Arledge Auditorium
After multiple requests, the crowd finally settled into their seats. Executive Vice President for Facilities Joseph Ienuso addressed the crowd, followed by AARP CEO Bill Novielli and Target's President for Community Relations and Target Foundation. They were joined by the events chairs, including Caroline Kennedy and Youth Co-Chair Usher. There are still a few empty seats in the room.

6:45 p.m., Roone Arledge Auditorium:
The crowd is settling down inside the auditorium as the 7 o'clock intro approaches.

Meanwhile, some more details are available about New York Governor David Paterson's announcement of the creation of a cabinet-level service position. Paterson is elevating Susan Stern, the Chair of the State Commission on National on Community, to a cabinet level position. He made the announcement to the public service groups convened at Columbia for the ServiceNation Summit. "We all know that true civic engagement will require more than short-term plans. We must inspire lifelong commitments from our citizens," Paterson said in a release from his office. Stern is charged with producing a report on volunteerism within 90 days "to make New York State a national leader for service," the release said. Stern has been involved in philanthropy, specificially in the Jewish world.

6:15 p.m., Roone Arledge Auditorium:
New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi is inside Roone Arledge, where the crowd is slowly filtering in. Other big names who have reserved seats include Usher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael J. Fox, Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Caroline Kennedy, Barbara Bush, and US Senator Charles Schumer.

Also, according to a release circulating among the press inside the auditorium, New York Governor and Columbia College alum David Paterson will announce the creation of a cabinet-level post for national and community service in his speech tonight.

5:45 p.m., Amsterdam Avenue
In what will likely be the first of many celebrity sightings, US senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden was spotted turning from Amsterdam Ave. onto 114th Street at around 5:15 in a motorcade. Though he was not part of the previously announced program, rumors ran rampant over the last couple of days that he and his Republican counterpart, Alaska governor Sarah Palin would be on hand.

Meanwhile, with over two hours to go until the presidential candidates actually take the stage tonight, the Low steps are already full with groups of students camped out on blankets. At 6, the student organized fair will kick off, featuring President Bollinger, Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp, and Lil Mama of Lip Gloss Fame.