By Jay’Mi Vazquez
Managing Editor
Vaughn Keeney
Contributer
Director of Library Services Amy Beth holding a tray of red, white and blue candy.
As party divides widened, students at the university united to watch the presidential debate as a community.
On Sept. 10 at 9 p.m., students and faculty alike gathered on Buley Library’s ground floor to view the presidential debate on the big screen.
The 2024 election is the first presidential election most students will be eligible to vote in, and as such, it holds significance for the university community.
“As educators, we are committed to supporting that process with educational tools to help students not only become informed, but to find out when they need information,” Director of Library Services Amy Beth said.
Beth hopes to foster curiosity among the student body and believes debate is a great way to do that.
Decked out in red, white and blue, library chairs were full of students of every major interested in politics or just looking for insight on which candidate to cast their vote for this November.
The intimacy of the setting allowed students who did not have cable television the ability to enjoy the debate, accompanied by friends and snacks.
“This year is just more interesting than the others,” nursing major Janelle Lawrence, a freshman, said.
Associate Professor of Political Science and Urban Affairs Jonathan Wharton echoed similar sentiments.
“Some character attacks were also expected between the candidates, which led into countless off-topic charges, but this is why presidential candidate debates are not taken seriously,” Wharton said.
Both the College Conservatives and the College Democrats, who jointly helped organize the event with the university, sent representatives to the watch party.
Despite the difference in viewpoints, all sat watching together, laughing at the same time and generally enjoying themselves.
Both sides agree that this election is one of extreme importance and will set the stage for all future elections to come.
Many students, like communication disorders major Zach Thornton, a senior, had already decided on their vote before coming into the debate.
Thornton said he will be casting his vote for former President Donald Trump, who he believes will follow through on his promises of tax cuts and stricter immigration laws.
Thornton voiced his displeasure with Vice President Kamala Harris’s performance as the attorney general in California.
“If Trump wins, hopefully we see a resurgence of a bit of nationalism,” Thornton said.
The president of the College Democrats, marketing major Tom Gilbertie, a senior, was also in attendance.
Gilbertie asserts his vote will go to the Harris-Waltz administration, citing his appreciation for her policies, especially what she plans to do to address the affordable housing crisis.
Harris would be the first female president and the first Asian American president, something Gilbertie appreciates.
“If you haven’t voted in a while, this is the election to vote in because if we don’t vote in Kamala, then I feel like our democracy is going to get dismantled,” Gilbertie said.
He worries Trump brings no policy and is a risk to democracy as we know it.
Regardless of political party, students should feel like their vote matters. Everyone deserves to be represented.
Psychology major Ce’ahnie Khan, a junior, said that she wanted to watch the debate with a community of students instead of alone.
“Watching it with a live audience is great just to see others’ reactions and learn from people around me,” Khan said.
The library will be hosting a vice-presidential debate watch party on Oct. 1, as well an election night watch party on Nov. 5.
VOL. 64- ISSUE 2
