Conor Tucker ’10 wants to give classmates the chance to be political pundits and not have to rely on “talking heads” to shape their opinions about the presidential candidates.
So he has helped organize events that bring students together to watch the presidential and vice presidential debates and share discussion afterward.
Dozens of students gathered last Friday night at the ALANA Cultural Center to watch Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama in their first presidential debate.
“On a Friday night, at 9 p.m., we had all these students watching the two major candidates talk for 90 minutes,” said Tucker. “This race will define our generation and their attendance shows that students are conscious enough of that fact to pay attention.”
Tucker said students talked about which candidates might have convinced more people through their statements, not necessarily who won or lost the debate.
Brian Haghighi ’09 was particularly interested in the candidates’ statements about foreign policy.
“The issue that probably resonates the most with me is America’s relationships and interactions with other countries,” said Haghighi.
Three more events, called DebateWatch, are planned, including tonight’s gathering at ALANA to watch the vice presidential candidates.
“The American people are not pre-sealed into Republican or Democrat packages,” said Tucker. “The election is a discussion between the candidates about the direction of our country, and included – but rarely mentioned – are we, the people.”
Tucker is a member of the , a group that seeks to provide students with opportunities to engage in discussion beyond the classroom.
The group sponsors activities such as SLF Asks, a discussion series at which challenging questions are posed to initiate lively discussion, an annual essay festival, a free-form debate series called The Forum, and dinners with faculty members to discuss their research.