Over 100 students turned up for a debate watch party in Miller Hall Sept. 26 with all eyes on this year’s two candidates for president of the United States.
The watch party, hosted by the Loyola Society for Civic Engagement, aimed to engage more students in the 2016 election. The society also teamed up with the college democrats and republicans to promote bipartisanship in the current political climate.
“We realized that there is a need for youth engagement on campus, and because this election is going to potentially affect the next eight years of our lives, we thought it important to watch this first debate because one should at least know what these candidates’ views are,” said Thanh Mai, Loyola Society for Civic Engagement president. “Essentially, this even is to educate the public and then to get said public railed up enough to head to the polls and vote their conscience. Hopefully, after this, people will not only engage at this event, but at others as well.”
Supplied with pizza, soda and other refreshments, the LSCE began the watch party around 7 p.m., an hour before the debate was to begin. After several minutes of quiet discussion and the Hamilton soundtrack as a backdrop, the LSCE opened a question and answer session to allow students to engage with the debate’s topics. The Q&A pushed students to be politically active at the event, with hopes that activism would spread to the rest of the election.
“College is supposed to train us for the future, and this election is going to be playing a part in all of our lives, whether we like it or not, so we feel as though it would be a good idea to provide an outlet for those who are interested in learning a bit more about the political spectrum and to provide a forum for those who are unsure about it in general,” said LSCE member Willi Newman Lucker, political science junior.
The society will host its next watch party during the third presidential debate Wednesday, Oct. 19. Overall, the society said they consider the first debate’s turnout successful and see it as a sign that the student body is more interested in the political climate than they expected.
