The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Erin Odell

Media Credit: Erin Odell Andrew Elash, the communications director of the College Democrats, left, and Jennifer Miller, right, chairwoman of the College Republicans, both participated in the annual debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans Wednesday night. Students discussed national issues at the event, which is held at the Puerto-Rican/Latin-American Cultural Center.

On Wednesday evening, students gathered in the Puerto Rican and Latin American Cultural Center's Program Room to watch a debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans.

The debate is held annually by the Multicultural Greek Council.

Two members from each party sat facing the crowd for each of the six questions argued.

The topics, ranging from universal health care to affirmative action, were met with equal fervor from both sides and questions from the audience.

However, one topic in particular seemed to strike a chord with the crowd and rouse extensive debate.

When the Democrats took the floor on the proposed question: "What should the United States do with undocumented immigrants?" they barely finished their first sentence when members of the audience started applauding.

Erin Callanan, 6th-semester political science major and member of the College Republicans, said she liked the debate, but not the infomality.

"It was very much too informal because the format changed mid-debate and there was the issue of remarks from audience members and people acting inappropriately on both sides."

But while some were put off by the intensity of the issue, others, like Magdalena Miranda, a 4th-semester business management major, were all the more enthralled because of it.

"I thought some of the topics were interesting. Some of them stirred emotions," Miranda said. "Actually, it was good. It made the debate more interesting."

While many members of the audience seemed to agree with the Democratic suggestion that illegal immigrants living in the United States should receive amnesty, there were those who raised questions advocating the Republican argument that entering the country illegally is breaking the law and should therefore not be excused.

The argument ended when Jennifer Miller, chairman of the College Republicans and 8th-semester biology major, clarified the position of the Republicans.

"I'm not trying to say that I don't want anyone else coming into my country," Miller said. "I'm simply saying there is a process. There is a legal process at hand, we can't just say 'I know there are laws but come here anyway'."

Adam Reyes, 6th-semester biology major and president of the Multicultural Greek Council that hosts the program, said the debate overall was a success, citing his only change next year would be to save the controversial issues until the end.

"I feel like the reason we changed the format half way was because we had those controversial issues in the middle that people had a lot to talk about," Reyes said. "We had to push the questions off until the end."

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