The Story
College Republicans and Young Democrats Debate State Issues
As Republican presidential candidates fought for their party’s nomination on the national stage this past week, the College Republicans and Young Democrats here at the College debated the policy issues facing Virginia.
The event, held in the auditorium of Millington 150, was moderated by Professor Clay Clemens of the government department. Clemens opened the debate by citing a poll by Christopher Newport University and the Richmond Times-Dispatch which reported that 70 percent of Virginians are not paying attention to this week’s state legislative elections.
Low interest statewide was reflected at the college by an only modest crowd and by debaters who at times seemed disinclined to focus on local politics. And at no point did any of the debaters feel the need, as Mitt Romney had, to put their hand on an opponent’s shoulder in an effort to silence them. But the size of the crowd and a lukewarm start did not prevent the debate from turning spirited and vigorous towards the end.
The College Republicans were represented by Chandler Crenshaw, ’14, Andrew Follett, ’13, Lisa Iverson, ’12, and Alex Kocher, ’12. Their opponents, the Young Democrats, included Scott Caravello, ’15, Elise Orlick, ’15, Michael Payne, ’15, and Zann Isacson, ’13.
The debate was loosely formatted. Clemens presented questions that each side had 90 seconds to answer, with 30 seconds for rebuttal. The teams decided within themselves who would speak to each topic, and some debaters spoke more than others.
Some questions were contentious enough that debaters requested additional time to respond to their opponents. One such question was “What, if any, changes would your party favor in Virginia gun laws and in whether students can carry guns on university campuses?”
Elise Orlick of the Young Democrats answered first, raising concerns about the “gun show loophole” - a term used to refer to the current legality of private vendors selling guns without conducting background checks. She then asserted that allowing guns on campuses would not have prevented the shooting at Virginia Tech, and would instead make campuses less safe.
Lisa Iverson, of the College Republicans, responded that gun policies should be left up to individual institutions and colleges to make. She argued with Orlick’s assertion that guns make campuses less safe, stating that people who break the law will obtain guns and break the law no matter the laws about guns. Orlick responded to this by pointing out that the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech shootings, Seung-Hui Cho, bought his guns legally.
The importance of allowing institutions to make their own gun policies was echoed by Chandler Crenshaw of the College Republicans, who argued that “If the College of William and Mary were to pass a resolution banning guns on campus, then they have the right to do that, because students aren’t forced to come here.”
Andrew Follett, of the College Republicans, stated that areas of the country with the highest levels of handgun ownership have the lowest levels of gun violence. This led to one of the tenser moments of the debate.
Zann Isacson of the Young Democrats argued that a college campus, with “a lot of alcohol that is widely available” was not a space where she would feel comfortable if she knew that some students carried guns. Follett argued back, stating several times that “it doesn’t matter how you feel about it, statistically speaking you are safer in a gun-rich environment; it doesn’t matter how you feel about it.”
Michael Payne, of the Young Democrats, added to the debate the basic point that correlation does not equal causation, and that in areas with more violence, legislators are forced to enact stricter gun laws.
Although debaters on both sides were clearly willing to continue the discussion on guns, Clemens urged them on to new topics, including jobs, immigration, marijuana, abortion, and eliminating the cap on the number of out of state students colleges are allowed to admit.
At the end of the debate, each side was given two minutes to make closing statements aimed at influencing the votes of members of the audience.
Crenshaw went first for the Republicans, arguing that Governor Mcdonnell’s 70% approval rate, Virginia’s comparatively low unemployment rate, and Virginia’s good ranking as a state in which to do business should all encourage the crowd to vote Republican.
Isacson closed for the Democrats, presenting their position as putting “sustainable policies into place that will help us in the long term, rather than short term fixes for our economy.”
Students registered as living in Brown, Sorority Court, and Tribe Square will vote at the Williamsburg Community Building at 401 North Boundary Street. All other students will vote at the Williamsburg United Methodist Church, at 500 Jamestown Road. Both polling locations will be open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 8th.