Unity was the common theme at the College Democrats of EIU vs. College Republicans at EIU debate in the packed Coleman Hall auditorium on Monday.
The main theme of the night was echoed by the participants and by John Morris, the advisor of both groups and senior instructor and undergraduate advisor in the political science department.
“We are going to do something here at EIU that isn’t going on anywhere in the world right now,” Morris said. “We’re going to get along.”
Monday’s debate marked the first time that the two campus groups have debated in eight years, according to president of the political science association and sophomore political science major Maycie Wilson.
“[The debate] was something that we really have not seen in a while,” Wilson said. “So, it is just something I wanted to do to bring them together, while also not dividing this campus even more.”
The debate was broken up in two sections, starting with the vice presidents of each group and followed by the presidents. Morris would ask a question, and the debaters would take turns answering it and debating each other’s responses.
President of College Democrats of EIU and junior political science major Megan Fox focused on common values held by students.
“All of us value very similar things, education, making sure that our communities are taken care of, and that we’re working with one another,” Fox said. “I think it is okay to disagree about some things. [My opponent] will probably disagree with me on some things. But when you sit down and have those conversations, you can actually have an understanding of people, which can help to bridge that gap and really help to promote unity.”
President of College Republicans at EIU and sophomore political science major Ben Anderson agreed by saying that despite disagreement, the debaters were still cordial.
“I really wish that the rest of the country could be the same way we do, and I hope that this debate tonight has shown the audience that while we do disagree, it remains respectful and friendly,” Anderson said. “And at the end of the day, we are going to walk out here and be friends.”
The other two debate participants were College Democrats of EIU Vice President John Slater and College Republicans at EIU Vice President Hayden Sennett.
“While we do differ on a lot of things, we really want to encourage unity within everything. So, this is a way to lay out what we believe and maybe change a few minds in the audience,” Slater said before the debate.
Sennett wanted to focus on trying to find things that the two groups could agree upon.
“It is just that it’s unfortunate they think a different way,” Sennett said before the debate. “I think a lot of what the debate is to just try to find some common ground [and to] try to work with them.”
The debate ended, and there were people on both sides who felt positively about the night.
“I was honestly surprised at how much they agreed on, but I think this is really good. I think it sets a really great precedent for future debates,” Wilson said. “It is really great to see that people do not have to be so divided, whether it be across party lines, religion [or] race. It does not matter what it is. We are all people.”
Essie Newton can be reached at 581-2812 or eanewton@eiu.edu.
Jason Coulombe can be reached at 581-2812 or at jmcoulombe@eiu.edu.
