By Whitney Vickers
FAIRBORN — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump may not being coming to the Wright State University campus for the first presidential debate, but students still had the opportunity to witness democracy in action Tuesday, Sept. 13, during its first-ever mock debate.
“When we applied and went to bid to host the first presidential debate, we wanted our students to experience this incredible opportunity to witness democracy in action,” Wright State President David Hopkins said. ” While Sept. 26 will not be the date here that we all envisioned, I still hope all of you will remain engaged in this election and our nation’s political process.”
Four total Wright State students represented the republican and democratic parties.
Crystal Burns, a political science major from Morrow; and Cody Smith, a political science major from Vandalia, each represented the republican party. Daniel Palmer, an accountancy major from Springboro; and Amanda Baker, an international and comparative politics major from Sheridan, Ind., represented the democratic party. All students are involved in the college’s Model United Nations Team.
Alexander Heffner, host of “The Open Mind” on PBS, served as the moderator for the event, asking each party the same questions, which were drafted by high school students. The students from each party took turns offering answers. They were asked questions in relation to Obamacare, education, pay rates, among others. Audience members were able to participate in a live poll, which was displayed during the event, as the questions were answered.
“If you’re undecided about which candidate to vote for, perhaps tonight’s mock debate will help you with that uncertainty,” Hopkins said.