Alexandra Ball, a junior political science major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is looking forward to watching Republican Sarah Palin accept her party's nomination as the first woman to run for the vice presidency on a main-party ticket.
However, unlike millions of Americans who will watch the speech Thursday night in front of a television screen, Ball will be inside the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., witnessing the event firsthand.
Ball is attending the Republican National Convention as an alternate delegate for Nebraska.
Ball chose to try to become a Nebraska delegate to the RNC when her brother and sister-in-law suggested it.
They thought it would be a great opportunity for Ball to get involved, and she agreed.
After going to the county elections office and signing up to go the county convention, she was elected to attend the state convention in La Vista. There, Ball was chosen as an alternate delegate for the RNC.
She is one of only two college students in the delegation from Nebraska.
As an alternate delegate, Ball does not have the same voting power as a delegate. However, besides sitting in the background at the roll call, Ball said there aren't too many differences in what alternates do at the convention.
Rick Davis, McCain 2008 campaign manager, said during Tuesday's press conference that the focus has shifted for the convention, and millions of dollars have been donated to regions affected by Hurricane Gustav. Many of the parties taking place at the convention were converted into fundraisers for the Red Cross and other relief agencies.
"Rather than talking about it, we did it," Davis said, referring to Monday's theme, which was service. He said fundraising for Gulf Coast redevelopment will continue through the convention.
Ball said she likes the emphasis put on helping.
"It's actually good timing, in my opinion, because there are all these leaders put in one room and working toward a plan of action and calling upon people to donate money," she said.
Convention planners finally decided to return to regularly scheduled programming at 5 a.m. Tuesday, after hearing hopeful news from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the governor of Louisiana.
While Republicans are trying to get back on track with the convention, there will be changes to the original schedule to try to accommodate some of the events that would have happened Monday.
Tuesday's main events included speeches from President George W. Bush; first lady Laura Bush; Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.; and former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.
Programming for Wednesday and Thursday's still is being altered as convention organizers talk with networks to try to consolidate the two nights' events.
The plan is to still have presumptive vice-presidential nominee Palin give her acceptance speech Wednesday night and to have the roll call of delegates after primetime on Wednesday, as scheduled.
Cindy McCain and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will speak, but neither speech is officially scheduled.
"It's hard to say definitively what will happen Wednesday and Thursday," Davis said. "It's still flexible."
Ball said the convention has been very organized in the face of such widespread changes. She said all delegates and alternates promptly receive text messages that detail any changes to the convention schedule.
All in all, Ball said she is enjoying her time in the Twin Cities and looking forward to hearing Palin's acceptance speech.
"From a student's perspective…it's definitely something that I feel the younger generation should get involved in."
jennagibson@dailynebraskan.com
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