When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the Columbia stage last year, the campus went on lockdown as the sidewalks of Broadway filled with New Yorkers eager to voice their opinion on the guest and the University’s invitation. But this fall’s high-profile event hasn’t stirred a comparable uproar.

There’s little sign that locals plan to speak out at all, and many neighborhood residents said they were wholly unaware that the two presidential candidates would appear on campus Thursday evening.

Members of the Broadway Democrats and Three Parks Democrats said they might table outside campus instead of by their storefront headquarters, but most groups have vowed to play down political campaigning. “We had not planned to do much outside activity around Columbia,” said Cynthia Doty, Democratic leader of the 69th Assembly District .

Even if members of the public do show up for the big event, they’ll have to remain outside, since the gates will barricade those without a Columbia University ID.

Thursday looks to be “a day above politics, a day of memory, a day of commitment, a day of working together,” Doty added, though she noted, “Friday morning they’ll be at each other’s throats.”