Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin used Nancy Fahey’s office on Thursday before the vice presidential debate at WashU.

WashU women's basketball coach Nancy Fahey

Fahey, the women’s basketball coach, reports that when she returned to her office this morning — the first time since Thursday’s debate — she found the following remnants of Palin in her office:

• a pink Sharpie
• a small hair clip
• three unused cans of Diet Dr. Pepper

Fahey said she believes the pink Sharpie was used by Palin’s 7-year-old daughter Piper to draw pictures on a basketball that Lahey had left behind for Palin to autograph.

She’s not sure if the hair clip — a small banana clip judging by Fahey’s description of it — could have been used by one of Palin’s daughters, too, she acknowledged. But for now, Fahey was having fun with her colleagues, telling them it was Palin’s.

“Her hair is kind of famous,” Fahey said.

Her colleagues have asked her if she will put it on E-Bay or something like that, but Fahey said she doesn’t yet know what she will do with the hair clip.

As for the three unopened cans of Diet Dr. Pepper, Fahey noted that the soft drink is rumored to be Palin’s drink of choice. But she added that there were also some cans of Pepsi and Diet Pepsi as well as water left in her office. And Fahey is waiting for confirmation that that is in fact Palin’s favorite drink.

WashU men's basketball coach Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards, the men’s basketball coach whose office was used by Biden on Thursday, did not report any interesting artifacts left behind by Biden. But, Edwards said that Biden’s 11 or so grandchildren apparently watched the debate from the Green Room — a room adjacent to his office. Edwards usually uses that room for team meetings.

In any case, the grandchildren left behind a big dry-erase board on which they drew all kinds of pictures and wrote little slogans such as “We call him papa” and “Biden for vice president.”

Edwards took a picture of it. He said he would email it me — as well as pictures of the basketballs that Palin’s daughters and Biden autographed. So be on the lookout for some pictures being posted tomorrow.