On Monday, September 26, Saint Xavier hosted its first debate watching party for the 2016 election.
Members of the press were invited so that people would be able to share their opinions with reporters. According to, Executive Director of Media Relations, Karla Thomas and, Media Relations Specialist, Kelly Murphy, the goal of these watching parties is to show that it’s important for people to vote and to be involved in the election.
19th Ward, Alderman Matt O’Shea was present to answer some preliminary questions before the debate “to break down national issues on a local level,” Murphy stated.
“A lot of the time, you’re listening to all of the headlines and you’re like, ‘I don’t know what that means, how does that apply to me?” Murphy said.
Before the viewing kicked off, the floor was opened up to the diverse crowd to allow a multitude of opinions to be shared. The faces filling up McGuire Hall for this watch party happened to be much more varied than previous years, as it is now open to local community members .
“We had an RSVP of up to 60 people, so we anticipated…at least 80 students, staff, and the surrounding community to join us. While it was only open to students in the 2012 election,” Thomas said of the last party they hosted during the Obama/ Romney election, “[students] still managed a great turn out.”
While she joked that they lured the students in with pizza, Thomas also explained the need for demographic outreach. “The election season is always intense, we wanted to be able to allow the community the venue that we allow for our students,” she said.
After a number of students and community members shared their opinions about the candidates and issues that were or were not being addressed this election season, Alderman O’Shea made it clear that he was appreciative of the opinions of people of “all walks of life.”
“To those of you that are frustrated with where we’re at and what our choices are, I would stress to you to spend these next couple of weeks researching candidates. Spend these next several weeks talking to your classmates,” he stated.
He continued to stress the magnitude of this election, especially the effect it could have on those who are graduating within the next four years: “Think about what your candidates are saying; and in some cases, what they’re not saying and let’s see if we can get a little more educated.”
A half an hour into the heated debate playing out on the large screen in McGuire, many people had already begun to laugh, shake their heads, or respond dramatically to the candidate’s verbal tennis match.
Even with the outcome of the debate, some people were just appreciative that an event like this was held at SXU.
“I think [that] it sparks a lot of conversation on campus. I think that it makes the campus more cohesive…and gives us new viewpoints. It sometimes presents a topic that maybe you hadn’t thought of before,” said Rachel Thomas, senior. She then went on to address what effect the debate could have on people’s perspectives on the candidates, saying, “I think there was a clear sway for millennials. It was very divided before, and I think that the upcoming debates are going to help to solidify people’s decisions and who they’re going to vote for.”
“We hope for continued success, not only for our debate party today, but also next Tuesday on October 4th and on October 19th.”
If you are interested in attending any of the remaining Debate Watching Parties, email newsroom@sxu.edu to RSVP.
Zhana Johnson
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