UPDATED: On Nov. 3, Columbia canceled Columbia Urban Music Association Voter’s Block Party, due to security reasons. The party was scheduled to be held on Election Day in the 1104 Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., but the college decided to cancel the event due to security concerns with the election rally for Sen. Barack Obama in Grant Park.

What many are calling “Obamapalooza” is taking place on Election Day close to the heart of campus. For security reasons, Columbia will be canceling classes on Nov. 4 after 3 p.m. , and all buildings will be closed after 6 p.m. that evening.

Sen. Barack Obama will be hosting an election rally at Grant Park beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 4. The college released an announcement on Oct. 30 stating that all campus buildings, with the exception of residence halls and most activities, will be canceled.

“Because we are so close to the epicenter of the action, the senior leadership wanted to make a definitive decision early and decided to do this with all safety and security concerns,” said Micki Leventhal, director of media relations.

Leventhal said the city requested all businesses near the rally close early, but didn’t request that any classes be canceled. That was a decision made solely by the college, she said.

Still, certain events on campus will be allowed to continue. The Voters’ Block Party at the 1104 Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave.; Election Night View and Skew, hosted by the Columbia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union at the Residence Center, 731 S. Plymouth Court; and the Radio, Television and Journalism Departments’ student media groups will be allowed on campus. Those in the programs or events must present a valid student ID or, in the case of the Voters’ Block Party, a valid voter registration card, Leventhal said.

Even though classes are canceled, Leventhal said the buildings and labs will still be open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate students working on projects. At 6 p.m., however, the buildings will be closed, and the doors will be locked. She was unsure whether or not the doors would be open at the buildings that are scheduled to have students coming and going.

Despite the rest of the school closures, the Fitness Center in the Residence Hall, 731 S. Plymouth Court, will also be open for regular business hours from 9 a.m. to midnight, said Aldo Guzman, director of leadership.

With such a large crowd attending the rally, Leventhal said there is an emergency response plan in place, but no one has “speculated what the range of issues might be.”

“I’m sure it’s in the back of peoples’ minds,” she said. “But that’s not anything people want to speculate about.”

With the exception of the early closure on Nov. 4, Leventhal said the college had no other official plans for students to participate in Election Day. She said individual teachers, if they wanted, had the freedom to allow their students to leave and vote.

“That’s up to the individual faculty member,” she said. “We have academic freedom, but there’s no policy regarding that.”