Students Discuss Myriad of National Issues
March 1, 2010 • By Amanda Herman,
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Planned to Talk About Obama’s First Year in Office
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Polls are down for President Barack Obama after he passed the one-year mark in office. About 43 percent of voters strongly disagree with “the way he is performing his role as President,” according to the Rasmussen Reports.
“I think there is a lot of early judging,” said freshman political science major Dwight Richardson.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority hosted a discussion Wednesday evening in Taylor Hall about Obama’s presidency thus far. About 30 students attended, including sorority members, health students as part of the Wellness Passport program, College Democrats and other interested students.
The Iota Alpha chapter of the sorority has five initiatives it covers in its programs throughout the school year. One of those initiatives is political awareness and involvement; this event aimed to provide a forum for discussion on the Obama administration.
DST member Rashaunda Jackson, a junior public policy and administration major, led the discussion. While the intent was to discuss Obama’s policies, the audience commentary led the program in another direction. Once health care, education and jobs were brought up, it became an assortment of comments using personal experiences, beliefs and already existing policies.
Because the event only lasted an hour, they never explicitly discussed Obama.
Senior Briana Harris, a finance major and second vice president of DST, said the Obama discussion still needs to be done. Harris said that if the organization does not try to hold another meeting, it would pair up with the College Democrats later in the spring.
Among topics discussed were secondary education, health care, the military, the economy and jobs, and the Constitution as it applies to American ideology today. Instead of talking about political officials, the discussion became one of principles.
Some audience members were concerned about health care for everyone, while others were concerned that free health care would make the United States more socialist.
The topic of education saw the biggest reaction, with almost everyone agreeing that teachers should be more accountable and paid better, and that schools should not cut athletics or fine arts programs for K-12 students.
College Democrats president senior Lauren Gilbert advanced the audience commentary by providing facts regarding American government policies and their modern interpretations. Gilbert said that in the American system, changes “take years to implement.” She also talked about how the president actually has no power to make these changes the public wants, because he is not in Congress.
After an hour-long discussion and even though they did not talk about Obama, Jackson remained satisfied with the meeting’s outcome.
“I think it gave students a chance to think about who they voted for and if the things they want to see get done, get done,” Jackson said.
Both Jackson and Harris said they were appreciative that Gilbert had been there to provide the information they did not know.
Richardson, while pleased with the event, expressed hope for a debate rather than a discussion.
“I kind of wish the College Republicans came,” Richardson said. “I always like to see the other side of the coin on this kind of thing. I am hoping next time they come out.”
College Democrats member Truman Horwitz, a freshman public policy and administration major, was also surprised by the turnout and the discussion’s value.
“It was nice hearing other students’ opinions on things that affect them,” Horwitz said. “It’s nice seeing people are a little educated.”
Contact Amanda Herman at hermanac@jmu.edu
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