On Tuesday evening, Oct. 1, over fifty students gathered alongside faculty and staff in President Michael Thomas’ backyard for a live watch party of the Vice Presidential debate between Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. As attendees snacked on chicken tenders, sliders and s’mores, they enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions and engage in respectful discussion in preparation for Election Day. 

Faculty and staff prefaced the televised debate with speeches about unity, respect and civility. They also answered student questions about hot topics, discussing voter registration, party line divides and border control. Ms. Mo, Associate Dean for Student Engagement, encouraged students to uphold their neighbors in a loving way in the midst of a difficult political landscape. 

Dr. Thomas reflected on the tension between the individual and the collective consciousness, and how across the course of American history, the pendulum has swung back and forth as priorities shifted to protect one or the other. He emphasized the importance of civil dialogue within the current political landscape and hoped that students would take advantage of Concordia’s effort to promote critical thinking and questioning.

“It’s really awesome to see this event,” said Amanda Norris, Associate Dean for Student Life. “It’s a huge stereotype that people of this age group and generation don’t care about things like this, with voting and politics. In the beginning, we had everyone raise their hand if this was their first election, and it was the majority of the students. We had over fifty students here, and so it’s really cool to see them taking initiative and educating themselves on this election so that they can vote if they want to."

“I really appreciate President Thomas for hosting this, because otherwise we would just end up watching this in our dorms, and now we get to connect with people doing it this way,” said freshman Nolan Ledwith, who described the event as a “summertime barbecue.” “I think President Thomas’s speech at the beginning of the year really coincides with this event, showing that his actions speak louder than his words by hosting [us].”

“I think that this is an incredible event because not only does it bring some pretty important questions to mind when watching the debate, but it also gives us a community to talk with fellow students and get their thoughts, their opinions, in a good environment,” said David Kruse, senior. “Like, this is a pretty comfortable and fun environment. So I’m just looking forward to it, looking forward to the ideas so that I can be a little more informed when I vote.”

ASCUI, Concordia’s student government, helped organize and advertise the event, and all six members of the ASCUI team were present. “I think it’s a great idea that we’re having this event because it gets people involved and informed,” said ASCUI Treasurer Nikko Brovick. “Especially in today’s political landscape, tensions are high and we don’t have conversations about these things when we really should be. It’s equipping us as the next generation. I think it’s really important that we learn how to talk about these things and not treat it as a taboo subject." 

“For me, this Vice Presidential debate was exemplary of civil dialogue,” said Thomas. “I think they’ve had a very good conversation back and forth, I think they’ve fact-checked one another, but they’ve been respectful – largely – of one another. And they’ve actually several times said that they’d reach across the aisle to work with one another, and I think that’s very hopeful.”

“I think it’s important that especially young people get civically engaged and politically involved because we know that our voices matter and that we are the next generation, and that we might find some of us in these positions in the future,” said Jai Viela, a freshman senator in Rho. “I think that when being a senator, a politician, or a leader in general, you need to take into consideration who you represent, the concerns of the people you represent and stay open to all ideas.” 

Thomas offered a concluding message to Concordia’s campus. “My primary exhortation to the students of Concordia is that they register to vote and participate in democracy. People for 250 years have given their lives for this right. People around the world are now dying for the right to be able to decide on and participate in democracy. We have that right here enshrined, we just have to use the franchise,” he said.

To register to vote in your state for the upcoming national election and all other state and local elections, visit Vote.Gov. 

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