By Betsy Carreño and Angel Dominguez
Hosted and streamed by Dominican, students gathered in the Contemplation Center of the Rebecca Crown Library to observe and criticize the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
What started as an entertaining watch party experience for students took an unexpected turn as the candidates prolonged their debate, leading students to reconsider their initial reactions and conclusions.
“Good for entertainment but concerning for the future, knowing it’s not meant to be entertaining,” said Rachel Esser, a student that attended the event.
The debate party was hosted by various organizations and led by David Dolence, assistant professor of political science, who created a presidential debate themed bingo card, for students in attendance.
The bingo card squares were filled with phrases to listen for while watching the debate. Some of the unique words listed on the card included convicted felon and China.
As the two candidates addressed topics such as the economy, cost of living, and abortion rights, students watched anxiously. It was not until some remarks by Trump that sparked reactions from students.
Trump’s comments about alleged incidents involving cats and dogs in Ohio as well as Harris’ dig towards Trump’s recent prosecution elicited laughter from the crowd.
As the debate ended, many students questioned the legitimacy of the discussion between the candidates.
Student Jennifer De Lao praised Harris’s composure while noting Trump seemed to be dodging questions. She added that she would have liked to hear more about the topic of undocumented immigrants.
Jariel Ramos, a political science major, weighed in on the debate, stating that he was, “a bit tired of Trump in debates.” He believes that Trump spends his time “attacking, denying, and lying” in debates.
As an environmentalist, his biggest concern is climate change and was disappointed it was not addressed enough.
Despite mixed opinions on the debate, the students expressed their appreciation for the university putting together an event like this to help keep students engaged ahead of the election.
“I wouldn’t have had any other way to watch the debate if they hadn’t put it here,” Esser said. “I really appreciate the professors for streaming [it] and having a way to keep us engaged in what they were saying.”
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