We’ve all probably heard about how everyone comes to college from uniquely different backgrounds. I won’t list them all here, but in a presidential election year people’s different backgrounds and interests become more noticeable, ranging from those who entirely don’t care about politics to those who dive into every single news item about the election.

I tend to be one of the latter, but with the start of my ninth semester here at Eastern I can honestly say I’ve gotten to know people representing nearly every type of interest level in politics that could exist on a college campus.

With this experience I have found that discussions involving politics or simple political issues can be one of the following for people: boring, interesting, frustrating or confusing.

While the above reactions are expectable, I’d like to take this opportunity to offer some suggestions for people who may find themselves in a political conversation between now and Election Day on Nov. 6.

First: If the subject of conversation interests you in the slightest bit, don’t be afraid to involve yourself. You don’t need to butt into the discussion to prove you have the tiniest piece of knowledge about the subject, but simply interjecting your opinion can help keep things alive and interesting.

Second: Surprise! You’ve found someone who disagrees with you! The person you are speaking with could be conservative (like me), moderate, liberal, libertarian, something in between or beyond, but they don’t have the same opinion as you.

Shying away from a potential debate/argument at this point is not the way to go, especially in a college setting. People in the outside world aren’t always going to agree with you, and college provides a great opportunity to practice holding civil discussions over disagreeable subjects. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the person or people you are speaking with and their views.

Third: Holding a civil political discussion is possible. This is probably the hardest part about the idea of holding a political discussion, since it tends to be what drives people away from paying attention to politics in the first place.

If you feel yourself tensing up over what you hear the person across from you saying or notice a hint of steam coming from their ears when you’re talking, take a step back and ensure that no one is just throwing insults at each other. A discussion that relies only on clichés and sound byte jabs is not really going to produce much intellectual exercise.

Finally: Know that it is okay to agree to disagree. If the conversation is going in circles, it may be time to change the subject or pick it up later.

Now, these are some very general suggestions, none of which I’ve necessarily mastered myself, but I hope they’re helpful. Just because politics is constantly portrayed as a series of endless nagging arguments does not mean our conversations have to be or necessarily will be the same.

As the presidential election kicks into high gear, I’ll be here writing my opinions and interacting with The Daily Eastern News’ readers, and hopefully all of you will take the opportunity to participate in our democratic process as well.

We heard a lot about the importance of the “youth vote” in the 2008 presidential election. As college students we are preparing for our futures in the real world, and part of that process should include developing our abilities to hold a substantive civil discussion about the issues that affect us all.

Greg Sainer is a senior communication studies major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].