October 09, 2012

Students can analyze presidential debates Oct. 17

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- As the 2012 presidential election heats up during the next four weeks, Southern Illinois University Carbondale students will have an opportunity to analyze the debates and offer opinions as to which candidate they believe won.

SIU Carbondale's "Raise Your Political Voice Project" is sponsoring a discussion at 5 p.m.. Oct. 17, in Student Center Ballroom A. The event follows two of three scheduled presidential debates, and the vice presidential debate. Those attending will view select clips from the debates and discuss the positions taken, counterpoints made, and how these political forums will affect the Nov. 6 general election.

The "Raise Your Political Voice Project" is a series of dialogues about politics and life that students are organizing. The goal is to encourage undergraduate students to respectfully discuss the state of politics in today's society, and the role that young adults can play in public life. The SIU Center for Service Learning and Volunteerism, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Ambassador Program, and the Department of Political Science Ambassador Program are project sponsors.

The program is a component of the University's role as the lead institution for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators' Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Project.

For more information about the Oct. 17 discussion, contact Adaline Tucker, an undergraduate student with the Center for Service-Learning and Volunteerism, at adaline@siu.edu.