Considering that 2,800 members of the media will be descending on this campus in 72 hours, Monday was a fairly quiet day at Wash U. Work continued around the Athletic Complex, where the debate will be held, and we caught a glimpse of Secret Service members touring the campus with bomb-sniffing dogs in tow, but other than that it was just another day of school.

Today was the last day that students were able to access the actual debate facility and our brief tour revealed a venue almost unrecognizable from the Athletic Complex we’re used to seeing but still far from the auditorium we expect to see on Thursday night. Aside from the main gym where the debate will take place, the recreational gym has been completely transformed into the offices of several thousand reporters and, after the debate, the world capital of spin. The room is setup with hundreds of tables, phone lines, electrical outlets, and TVs.

Outside the AC are three large stages where reporters will be able to broadcast “from the scene.” Just so viewers don’t forget where the debate is being held, we’ve placed Washington University in St. Louis banners in front of the AC and then strategically around campus.

I was supposed to volunteer for MSNBC today (Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, and Chris Matthews will be broadcasting live from campus all day Thursday), but it was rained out. The weather for the rest of the week looks nice though.

See you tomorrow!