On Thursday, Oct. 2, Washington University in St. Louis will have special company: They will host a debate between vice presidential cadidates Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin. Set to fill a role a proverbial heartbeat away from the presidency, Biden and Palin will be a heartbeat away from SLU, just a few miles west on Lindell Boulevard.

On the surface, Biden and Palin are one-dimensional characters. They can be simmered down into a few, conventional labels, provided by the media, the campaigns and, in Palin’s case, Tina Fey.

Biden: Catholic, male, senator.

Palin: Alaskan, woman, governor.

But soon, the two will burst into life-or at least onto a two-dimensional television screen. The veil of unfamiliarity will lift as the world hears both candidates speak.

The debate will be covered by six major broadcast networks. It will cost more than $1.35 million to produce. It will be viewed by millions of people worldwide. Needless to say, this is going to be a big deal. And, though it’s far too late to secure a seat in the debate room, it’s not too late to get in on the action.

Wash. U. is no stranger to matters of state. This will be the fourth major debate held at Wash. U., and the first VP debate. That’s more official presidential and vice presidential debates than any other institution in the United States. Our collegiate neighbors aren’t hosting a presidential debate like they did four years ago, but this election season’s VP candidates are, perhaps, even more interesting than their running mates.

Unlike the charged rhetoric that already shrouds presidential hopefuls Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama (old and young; experienced and inexperienced; hope, audacity and boatloads of change), the VP candidates are fresh. They are new. They are relatively mysterious.

But voters cannot let them stay that way.

Now is the time to try both candidates out in your own mind.

Check out Wash. U.’s official VP Debate website (debate.wustl.edu) for solid information about the event and the candidates. Consider big-ticket issues to be covered next Thursday: the economy, the Iraq War, healthcare and terrorism will likely top the list. Mull over these topics, then compare your views to Biden’s and Palin’s.

Then, make your opinion real.

Register to vote. Either secure your absentee ballot, or register by the impending Oct. 8 deadline. Any student with a SLU mailbox can register to vote in Missouri and vote in the Busch Student Center on Nov. 4.

Student volunteers from will be registering students in the Quad and on the way to this weekend’s Homecoming concert. You can also register at either campaign’s website. It takes a few minutes out of the day, but the action is simple and worthwhile.

The vice president’s traditional role is to back the president’s policies, to head the Senate and to stand as next-in-line for the desk in the Oval Office. This year, our next vice president will plead his or her case down the street.

Drop the labels and check the facts. Watch and listen. The next episode of the American pageant is in our back yard.