Northwoods Reporter

University of Wisconsin-Superior issued the following announcement on March 7. 

The University of Wisconsin-Superior stood front and center as President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, along with several other elected officials, visited the campus on March 2, the day after the president’s first State of the Union address.

Such a historic event for the university also required a tremendous amount of preparation to make sure every detail was cared for, all with a limited amount of time. Quickly, the UW-Superior campus community sprang into action. Alongside White House staff, UW-Superior staff transformed the Yellowjacket Union into the ideal location for the visit.

While many UW-Superior employees had roles in readying the campus, a few who played key parts in the preparation shared in their own words what went into hosting the event.

Ethan Russom

Yellowjacket Union Director

How did you find out the president and first lady were coming to UWS?

I received a phone call from Jenice Meyer on Saturday evening [February 26] around 8:30 p.m. She informed me that UWS, namely the Yellowjacket Union, was on the short list of possible locations for a visit from a “high level Washington D.C. official.” I knew immediately exactly who she was talking about as news reports had already been released that President Joe Biden was coming to Superior. By Sunday afternoon, the Yellowjacket Union was confirmed as the primary location and then we were off to the races. The next three days were a bit of a blur.

What was your initial reaction to finding out – and learning the YU would be the location?

My very first reaction was anxiety, honestly. I knew that UW-Superior and the Yellowjacket Union would have national, and potentially international attention. Once that feeling subsided, I was incredibly excited for the opportunity to put our best foot forward and show everyone what a small campus with dedicated people is capable of.

What were some of the initial tasks involved with getting the Yellowjacket Union ready?

Planning, planning, planning. The logistics of running this event were like nothing I had ever experienced before. The most intricate part was operating as a student union and serving our students, while simultaneously figuring out how to pull off this monumental event without disrupting the overall student experience as much as possible. The entire visit team worked closely with campus leadership, local police and public works agencies and governmental entities to plan even the smallest detail.

What was it like working with the White House staff?

I was so impressed with the entire White House staff team. They are an engaging and passionate group of people who truly believe in what they do. The communication between the White House staff teams, Secret Service agents and our on-campus team and beyond was clear and abundant. If they didn’t have an answer to a question we had, they found it for us and never left us in the dark. It was a great experience to be a part of their operation even for just a couple days.

Had you ever been a part of an event of this size and magnitude?

We have had larger events in size than this presidential visit since it was invitation only, but I would say nothing close to the magnitude. In my almost eight years of service as a professional staff member at UW-Superior, we’ve hosted two sitting Wisconsin governors, the Board of Regents, UW System presidents, countless other government officials, but never a President and First Lady of the United States. All eyes were on us for two hours and I’m proud of what we accomplished.

What was it like seeing the Yellowjacket Union transformed to host the president?

Honestly, there were so many moving pieces that I barely got a second to take it all in. There were multiple teams working on communicating with students, physically clearing and resetting the building, cleaning, security, parking, technology, food service relocation, etc. It truly took a village to make this event happen. If one piece had been missing, we couldn’t have pulled it off.

What will you remember most about the visit?

I think I’ll mostly remember the aftermath, the sigh of relief on everyone’s faces. Everyone from the White House staffers to our on-campus team all had a simultaneous feeling of, “Wow, we just did this.” It was possibly the most mentally strenuous 72 hours of my professional career, but then it was suddenly over. The President was gone, the First Lady was gone, all the staging and technology that took two full days to put up were down in a matter of hours. It was bittersweet to witness the teardown, but also a great feeling of accomplishment and pride in the UW-Superior team that helped make it a reality. It was so amazing to showcase our campus, our community, and our remarkable students on this kind of platform.

I would love to thank the UW-Superior students, faculty, and staff for their patience over the last couple days. We understand that this event forced people to change plans and be flexible with their schedules and day-to-day routines. It’s also important to recognize the roles that SSC custodial staff, University Police, and Chartwells Food Service staff played in helping this event come to fruition. Without them it simply would not have been possible.

Original source can be found here.