Michelle Obama At CU--Professors Cancel Classes For Visit

**Update--lackluster turnout for the wife of "The One," at 11:40am MDT:

All of those who were in line are now on the fileld, which is only about a quarter filled.

With an estimated crowd capacity of 7000 for Farrand Field, this would be a turnout of less than 2000 on a campus bursting with lefties. Look for the numbers to grow (through crowd inflated estimates) later in the day.

Perhaps they should have offered that other enticement so popular at CU.

The Rocky is blogging from Farrand Field on the CU Boulder campus--where we learn that classes have been cancelled so that students can attend a rally with Barack Obama's wife Michelle, and not the candidate himself:

The lines are flowing relatively quickly into Farrand Field, which can hold about 7,000 people. Attendees are going through minimal security checks, with no metal detcetors. Officials are mostly just visually scanning people.

One of those who just entered was Christina Donahue, 19, an English major, who said her professor canceled class so students could attend the rally.

"It's important to be out and politically active and vote," Donahue said. "This will be an important part of history."

Since she is 19, this will be the first time she can vote.

"A lot of people are really interested," Donahue said. "They want to be part of it and contribute."

She, along with the thousands of others expected to attend, are filling out information cards for the Obama campaign.

On a liberal campus like Boulder perhaps it would be unsurprising to find that classes would be canceled for the Democratic nominee (his wife is another matter) reflecting, no doubt, the political leanings of the professors. The students don't seem to be showing up quite yet (10 am MDT):

Perhaps they're sleeping in or sitting in class, because the crowd so far is distinctly lacking in CU students -- the Obama campaign's target audience.

Whoops! Looks like the misguided students need a little encouragement.

But biased professors and instructors? Well, well, well:

Duke Austin, a 33-year-old graduate student and instructor in CU’s Sociology Department, was out near the lines to get in with a sign that said, “No bailout for the rich” on one side and “Don’t surge Afghanistan” on the other.

Austin describes himself as a “critical Obama supporter.”

“I think the movement surrounding Obama is more progressive than Obama himself. If the movement wants to influence change in Obama, it has to do it before the election,” he said.

Austin was among the organizers of protests during the Democratic National Convention and is part of the group Students for Peace and Justice.

Just another day in academia in the People's Republic of Boulder.