As hard as we may try to ignore it, being newspaper editors at a prominent university in the middle of October isn’t always as exciting as it sounds. Sure, there are great stories lingering amidst the brisk campus air; they’re always around. And, of course, the midpoint of the semester is when the first “scandals” of the year tend to bubble up from the background – everything can’t stay perfect forever.
But the month of October will never be as journalistically turbulent as the beginning or end of a semester, and, for that matter, the spring.
So why not make things interesting?
This year, October will take on a whole new meaning for The Observer as we work to make some noise at a stereotypically quiet time.
On Oct. 25, The Observer will host its Election 2012 Debate at 7 p.m. in the Thwing Ballroom. This will be the first time our publication has hosted such an event in recent memory, and it will certainly satiate this October restlessness.
A debate for students by students, the most articulate representatives of Case Democrats, Case College Republicans, and Young Americans for Liberty will wage battle over political philosophies in front of the Case Western Reserve University and greater Cleveland communities.
However, this debate will feature the attendees just as much as these representatives. In fact, audience participation before, during, and after the debate will be critical to making this a lively, organic conversation rather than a bland nursing home roundtable.
Prior to the event, anyone may submit a question for the speakers via The Observer’s Facebook page, Twitter stream, or by emailing observer@case.edu.
During the debate, attendees can tweet questions and commentary, which will be displayed on projectors to the audience, as well as folded into the questions for the speakers.
Following the program, The Observer will select key tweets to reprint in our next edition, which will hit newsstands on Nov. 2.
As a neutral student newspaper, it is our responsibility to provide our constituents with as much information as possible, regardless of where (or whether) they fall into the political spectrum. Therefore, don’t expect us to tell you how to vote. But do expect us to tell you to do it.
College students help decide elections, and, in a critical swing state like Ohio, we matter here, we matter now, and we matter more than ever. Information will be circulated at the event to help guide you to the polls on Election Day, and regulations, such as voter ID constraints, will be clarified.
I hope you will be able to join us for this special event. After all, there will be many issues, ranging from healthcare and immigration to student loans and employment, up for debate. But the importance of the student voice will not be one of them.
