The Oakland Post

Embracing democracy

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The announcement regarding Oakland University’s hosting of a Republican presidential primary debate came suddenly during the summer doldrums of August.

Talk of the announcement quickly appeared on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, but seemingly died down after a few hours.

There’s no doubt that the debate will be a large event, since a national spotlight will shine on OU. But does it automatically associate the school with the Republican Party forever? It shouldn’t.

Organizing efforts have now stepped into high gear, with the date of the event being just over one month away.

Because of this, talk of the debate is once again sweeping across campus as professors from a myriad of departments are working together to get students involved with the debate.

Last week, The Oakland Post’s center feature was dedicated to information about student opportunities available. However, there have been concerns raised by some campus community members about Oakland’s perceived affiliation with the Republican party and this election’s crop of candidates.

“I think that there’s a lot of concern that the Republican primary debate signals OU’s endorsement,” said Jen Heisler, chair of the department of communication and journalism. “That’s certainly not what it’s about for us or our community.”

Heisler said there are “folks who are uncomfortable with that” and confirmed there have been some objections raised regarding OU’s involvement in an event hosted by a political party.

“It’s an event that contributes to what is, in my opinion, the central piece of our democracy,” said David Dulio, chair of the
political science department. “No one is endorsing anybody — it’s just a venue for an
important event.”

And we agree with Heisler and Dulio. A university is the environment that should allow community conversation on a variety of topics.

So far this year, a Republican primary debate was held at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. Another is taking place at Dartmouth College next week — both of which are private schools.

OU is not alone, though. Iowa State University — a public university — was the venue for a recent debate put on by Fox News, The Washington Examiner and the Republican Party of Iowa.

At the risk of sounding like a university administrator, we want to encourage students to embrace this opportunity.

According to Erin Sudrovech, associate director of alumni engagement, 180 students have applied to serve as volunteers during the debate put on by the Michigan Republican Party and CNBC.

It’s a huge opportunity to learn. And isn’t that what we’re all here to do? Students are fortunate enough to have a
shot in taking part of this democratic process — a presidential election — and could have the chance to rub elbows with prominent newsmakers.

There are even some paid positions available. It’s not too late to get involved. Students can still apply for a limited
time to be a volunteer at www.grizzlink.oualumni.com/debatevolunteer or can look out for information regarding future
chances at contributing to what Dulio said will be a historic campus event. It doesn’t stop at volunteering, though.

Engage in democracy and see this as a chance to contribute, whether it be through discussion or dissent.