As a crowd of nearly 22,000 prepared to invade Old Main lawn, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., stood in a dairy barn.
But before they arrived at the Penn State Dairy Complex, Obama, along with Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., went back to the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel around 10 a.m. in sweatpants after a pick-up game of basketball at the Bryce Jordan Center. Obama cordially greeted a small crowd eagerly awaiting his arrival in the lobby, shaking hands and taking pictures.
An hour later, everyone climbed into buses and SUVs, led by a police escort to travel to the Dairy Complex, where Obama received a tour of the facilities.
With Casey at his side, Obama met several Penn State agricultural representatives and learned about the university's research, in areas from animal rumination to biodiesel and energy efficiency.
After the tour, Obama boarded his black tour bus to Old Main.
To outsiders, this tour bus looks as though it is carrying a rock star to his next venue. Instead, a soft-spoken presidential candidate, who has gained a rock star status among college students, is inside.
In a 6-minute one-on-one interview with The Daily Collegian on his bus, Obama discussed the involvement he has seen in his campaign from college students.
"What we try to do is reach out to young people and tell them we don't want them just to vote, we want them to be involved, we want them to be active, we want them to take leadership positions in the campaign, we want their ideas about issues," he said, "and it's that kind of involvement and ownership of the campaign that I think has attracted a lot of young people."
Obama said his campaign is about ordinary people.
"My campaign has always been a bottom-up campaign -- I think that's how we're going to bring about change in America," he said. "I think for young people, who are cynical about how Washington works, this gives them an opportunity to feel better about it."
On college affordability, Obama said, he plans to expand the Pell Grant program and provide $4,000 per year in tuition credit for students who participate in community service or programs like the Peace Corps after graduation.
Obama also said he has a plan for job availability to college graduates, particularly in clean energy.
Obama said he plans to invest $150 billion over 10 years in clean energy -- "the kind of bold, serious plan for energy that can get our economy on the right track and that ultimately will create more jobs for people who graduate."
Obama said he is determined to immediately begin troop withdrawal from Iraq, a war he has opposed since 2002.
"We can have most of our troops out in about 16 months' time," he said. "But, what I've said is that it's important for us to not simply end the war -- we've got to change the mindset that got us into the war and that mindset, I think, is one that was built on fear, and what we need to do is export hope."
