Where’s Clint Eastwood? An empty wooden chair was spotted on Cross Campus late Wednesday night with a sign that read “The Empty Seat of Student Representation in the Presidential Search Committee.”

Keeping up with politics. Yalies gathered in droves Wednesday night to watch the first presidential debate between U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney. The second debate will take place Oct. 16 and will include issues of foreign and domestic policy.

Motivating the masses. A group of Yalies has launched an online petition demanding greater transparency and student involvement in the ongoing search for Yale’s next president. Addressed to the Yale Corporation, the petition asks that a student representative be present at each committee meeting and that the minutes of each meeting be accessible to the public. It had garnered 354 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.

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Travel made easier. The New Haven Parking Authority and Connecticut Department of Transportation have teamed up to offer commuters valet parking at Union Station. The joint effort will also allow travelers returning to Union Station to text ahead of time and to ensure their cars are ready by the time they arrive.

City debates redistricting. Several Elm City aldermen have requested that some city streets be relocated to different wards after the redistricting map reportedly did not match the voter list. The Board of Aldermen voted last May on new ward lines to meet residents’ requests, but some are saying the new adjustments do not entirely make sense.

Money in the bank. New Haven’s Common Ground High School was awarded $105,890 from AT&T’s Aspire program, a grant that aims to improve academic success and graduation rates. Last year, more than 96 percent of the high school’s graduates were accepted to college.

Senior politics. Chris Murphy, Democratic candidate for Connecticut’s open Senate seat, stopped by a senior center in Fair Haven on Wednesday. He reportedly delivered his message as the senior citizens played Pinochle, a card game.

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY 1913 University administrators officially adopt the “Bowl” as the name for Yale’s football field, arguing that the term “amphitheatre” or “arena” do not quite convey the nature of the structure. In addition, they maintain that the word “bowl” appropriately describes the “concave vessel” and has the additional advantage of being short and memorable.