Efforts to increase student involvement in American democracy are underway at FAU. DebateWatch, a program intended to encourage non-partisan discussion after the presidential and vice-presidential debates, and Speaker’s Corner, a debate forum on the Boca campus, are both a result of the ADP. DebateWatch, which ended with the final presidential debate October 13, met in classrooms in Boca, Davie, and other area community centers. The purpose of the project was to bring people together to watch the debates. Facilitators were careful not to allow the audience to hear any of the pre- or post-debate comments and promptly turned TVs off after the debates.
The audience then broke into smaller groups, each with a facilitator, to discuss the debates without any outside influence from media spin. The discussion format was non-partisan, focusing on the issues, arguments, and the structure of the debate rather than a specific candidate’s politics.
Kim Stiles, a graduate student in the Communications department and an officer in the ADP, called DebateWatch a success, “For the first debate, more than 100 people came. For the last one, more than 60. This atmosphere allowed people to get involved, and people stayed to take part in the discussons” Stiles says.
The ADP has been developed by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. With funding from their partner The New York Times, the venture includes 144 different campuses, representing more than 1 million students. The ADP mission is to help develop democratic participation at the college level.
The focus on college-age people is the central part of the ADP’s efforts. Stiles says, “The whole point of the American Democracy Project is to get younger people civically engaged because the Dotcom generation, ages 18 to 25, are the least engaged generation yet.”
At FAU, the American Democracy Project will not end now that the debates are over. The next endeavor is Speaker’s Corner, which is modeled after the famed free speech area located within Hyde Park in London, England.
Like the British original where anyone can go to speak their mind, Speaker’s Corner hopes to encourage people to talk about their ideas. In order to promote the idea, there will be five policy debates held on the Free Speech Lawn behind the General Classroom buildings.
The debates, scheduled to begin on Nov 8, will occur every Monday and Wednesday from 12:30 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. They will cover topics ranging from stem cell research and abortion to file-sharing. The cross-examination debates are presented by students taking an Argumentation and Debate class.
The public is encouraged to watch the debates and participate in them. Stiles cites student involvement in the debates as key to the survival of Speaker’s Corner: “I hope people stop and listen, and then get involved in the discussion afterwards. I hope people get a sense of how important it is that we have a Speaker’s Corner. Hopefully, it will become permanent, and anyone could go there to talk bout politics and their beliefs.”
The future of Speaker’s Corner lies in the hands of the students of FAU, as well as on donations that would continue to fund the initiative. All FAU students are encouraged to participate in the American Democracy Project. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
