By Laura Acuff, Opinion Editor
The JMC Network and the Students’ Association teamed together to sponsor “We the People,” a political forum, Wednesday in Hart Auditorium at 5 p.m.
Forum speakers include faculty, staff and student representatives. Optimist Editor in Chief Daniel Johnson-Kim will moderate, asking questions on topics from the economy to foreign policy to what a Christian’s role should be in politics. Audience members also will be given the opportunity to ask questions, and a Nintendo Wii will be given away.
Johnson-Kim, senior print journalism major from Abilene, suggested the idea for a forum to SA officers.
“I just thought it’d be a good idea because it’s an election year to get some faculty and students who feel comfortable expressing their views,” Johnson-Kim said. “I think it’d be great for people to actually talk about what’s going on in the world right now.”
Johnson-Kim said he hopes the forum will spark discussion among students and be an informational venue for those with political questions, offering differing perspectives through both conservative and liberal viewpoints.
SA Vice President Sarah Pulis, senior political science major from Longview, helped plan the forum and also said great emphasis was placed on ensuring a balanced combination of views among panelists in order to make sure all felt welcome to attend.
“Often, politics can be contentious,” Pulis said. “We look forward to some lively debate and discussion but we wanted to make sure that this environment is one where students will feel comfortable coming to listen or to ask questions or to speak themselves, and again we really wanted to stress this being an inclusive environment for everyone to come partake.”
As far as SA’s involvement, Pulis said sponsoring the forum seemed like an appropriate fulfillment of SA’s mission.
“One of the main missions of SA is student advocacy, and advocacy involves helping students to express their views, to make the campus a better place,” Pulis said. “This forum fits in well with that, and hopefully when students come and listen to the various viewpoints, it will help them to just better clarify their own views and maybe think about things in a different way.”
Panelist member Dr. Kristina Campos, professor of communication, said she felt compelled to participate as a panelist to help ensure different political views were represented.
“It’s always a good thing when we can let both sides of the political process be heard on campus and let people know that it is possible to be a Christian and a Democrat, and it’s possible for those things to go well together,” Campos said. “It’s important to model that for our students.”
Dr. Neal Coates, professor of political science, will serve as a panelist at the forum and said he sees the forum as an educational opportunity for students considering for whom they will vote.
Coates said he believes, Christian or not, people should be involved in their governmental system when given the opportunity.
“Who we select has direct implications for how clean our water will be, how safe our streets will be, how well our children are educated, how our military behaves and our economic policies,” Coates said. “Granted, I fully agree that our kingdom is not of this world, but this is an opportunity that only comes around every four years. It’s not like we’re doing this every day. I’d say seize the day and try to make a difference.” Overall, Johnson-Kim said he hopes the forum will be an educational, entertaining
experience.
“It’s just going to be very professional and very productive and hopefully sparks fly because nobody likes it when everybody is nice to each other,” Johnson-Kim said.
