Political apathy seen in two debates on campus
There were two major debates held on campus over the past week, and despite the charade students put online about caring, the truth is they don’t.
The major event of the week was the Republican Senate Debate, which was hosted by the Pulliam School of Journalism. The five candidates came to campus for a 90-minute debate, and according to the reservation list, only 40 students graced them with their presence.
The candidates addressed issues that are important for students, and yet only a handful came.
The passage of the health care reform prompted student outcries on Facebook and declarations of socialism.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that these same students would want to support a debate where political leaders are discussing these issues and may one day have a say in those same issues students are commenting on. It seems students want to prove their legitimacy as adults by parading their political opinions on their Facebooks, yet won’t take action to support these opinions.
Then the Student Congress debate rolled around later in the evening. That event had slightly better attendance with 50 students. Eight of the nine candidates for executive board have groups or events supporting their election. These groups have an average of 90 people.
There seems to be a discrepancy in what students on campus say they’ll support and how many people actually attend events to show their support. Student Congress affects everyone. They are the ones who allocate all the money organizations receive. If students don’t come hear the candidates debate, how do they know they aren’t blindly voting for a candidate who doesn’t have their interest at heart?
There may have been conflicts in students’ schedules, but Franklin is a campus of a little over 1,000 students. This means only four percent of the school was represented. This seems a dismal percentage and a loss to those who did not attend. Students missed the opportunity to learn what real politics look like, not just the kind they read on the Internet.
Students need to start acting on their political beliefs and get involved in actual discussions and debates on campus. It’s not enough to comment on a Facebook account where no one holds you accountable.
