Students representing 150 college campuses across the country descended on Dominican University on Wednesday for College Debate 2016, a non-partisan initiative to empower young people to identify issues and empower their peers to discuss the presidential election.
The three-day summit includes delegates who consider themselves solid liberals, next generation left, young outsiders, business conservatives, steadfast conservatives, faith and family left, and hard-pressed skeptics.
Education seemed far and away the most important issue to many of the students who are facing crippling debt and want to see a more affordable path to education opportunities.
“I am really passionate about education reform,” wrote Jackie Rogers of Southern Oregon University. “The future economic, social, and environmental health of our nation is dependent on a well-educated populace. Our ability to adequately train the future leaders of tomorrow requires that all students have access to an affordable, high quality education.”
Immigration was also a key issue for many of these students who were the children of either legal or illegal immigrants. Others who were immigrants themselves strongly felt that all people had a right to come to the United States.
“Immigration is the most important issue to me in this election,” said Cory Klafka of Alverno College. “Every person has the right to immigrate to the United States if they wish and be protected. There will potentially be detrimental results for immigrants based on who is elected. The future of immigrants and immigration will be drastically changed.”
Other key issues were a more generous healthcare policy, privacy rights, and criminal justice reform.
Many students were social justice warriors who said that income inequality, climate change, #BlackLivesMatter, and discrimination were their key issues.
They were also a few right-of-center students who were more focused on the economy, foreign policy, Israel, and the Constitution.
“I am very passionate about preserving the Constitution,” said Maribeth Watkins of Longwood University. “I see that in the future it will become a piece of paper with no power rather than it being the tangible object that represents what the government is. The Constitution was created with the intentions to ensure liberty and our posterity.“
