Students with diverse political affiliations gathered Tuesday at Memorial Union to discuss pressing policy issues including healthcare, economics and immigration.
The event, hosted by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Society and Politics Committee, the College Republicans of UW-Madison, the Millennial Action Project UW-Madison Chapter and the Political Science Student Association, asked students to gather in small groups to discuss current political topics.
Facilitators encouraged students to ask questions beyond simply stating their opinions, and “find common ground” with their peers. Group leaders had a list of political topics with participants choosing which topics to discuss as a team.
Students played a large role in facilitating meaningful conversation throughout the night.
Former Political Science Student Association member and participant Logan Pearlman valued hearing from a variety of different backgrounds.
“I heard some new viewpoints. It was interesting to see where we agreed and disagreed [on issues],” Pearlman said.
Students often disagreed on topics including healthcare, gun control and immigration, but remained respectful throughout the evening.
Society and Politics member Reagan Eckley praised the atmosphere among students while talking about controversial issues.
“I saw everybody at every single group talking at least at one point,” Eckley said. “It was very respectful. I didn’t hear any arguments. It was a good environment.”
Current events often wove their way into larger policy debates. Students discussed the ongoing impeachment inquiry, monopolistic trends within corporations, debate in the Supreme court around Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Twitter’s recent censorship decision.
Often, students connected these topics to the positions of Democratic candidates — including firearms buyback programs and candidates’ economic policies.
Students often backed their viewpoints with academic knowledge and personal experiences. One student discussed the historical use of quotas while talking about immigration, while other students in the group related their personal observations to their points.
During breaks, students bonded over majors, classes and upcoming midterm exams. In the midst of serious debate, laughter often broke tense moments.
Eckley stated she observed students challenging “the limits of what they could talk about. I heard people talking about things that I wouldn’t have necessarily thought of.”
Hope Karnopp is the news manager and dabbles in music reviews at The Daily Cardinal. She previously hosted the Cardinal Call for WORT-FM and edited state news.
