On April 1, seats were filled at the Martire Center Loris Forum, and attendees were ready for a night of debate at “The Voices of Tomorrow II: Shaping Our Future” event.
The debate discussed Trump’s recently- introduced policies regarding climate change, immigration reform, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies, abortion access, and U.S. foreign policy in Israel and Gaza. Moderated by Dr. Gary Rose, Scholar in Residence at SHU, it featured sharp arguments and an interactive Q&A to keep the audience engaged.
The debaters featured a mix of student organizations—including SHU’s Get Out the Vote Student Coalition, College Democrats and College Republicans—giving students a chance to dive into today’s most prominent political issues and possibly see the topics from a new perspective.
“The primary goal of these debates is to bring into focus contemporary political and policy issues that have direct bearing on the lives of Sacred Heart students,” said Rose. “Students who attend the debates not only gain knowledge of key policy issues, but also gain insight into the positions embraced by the two major parties.”
Exposure to both views of the differing political parties allows students to develop a broad understanding of both sides, especially during school-promoted public discourse events.
“As much as I admire and appreciate our faculty panels, they often fail to create an environment that promotes meaningful student engagement,” said senior Anna Macaulay, president of the SHU College Democrats Club. “I love when students challenge us with questions and really engage in a thoughtful dialogue—even if it escalates, spirited debate is the backbone of democracy.”
Once the debate kicked off, the discussion quickly heated up. From the first topic, it was clear that students came ready to defend and expand on their viewpoints.
“I think the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Federal Policy and the Middle Eastern policy debates brought the most audience engagement,” Macaulay said.
U.S. foreign policy in Israel and Gaza has been one of the most prevalent issues covered in recent headlines, making it one of the central topics of the night.
“It was great to see Republican debater, Aidan, get into a spirited audience-debater discourse with our classmate, Liam, who came to watch and support the event,” said Macaulay.
However, when the DEI policy was introduced, it hit closer to home.
“With DEI, our own Sacred Heart University community was impacted by such executive orders, especially our students who work in the Multicultural Center or participate in identity-culture clubs (like the Black Student Union, the Women’s Political Engagement Club, etc.),” Macaulay said.
Source: Will Morgan, Staff Writer and Photographer
When discussing DEI policies, the Republican side argued that in today’s work environment, a person’s race is too important a factor in hiring and meeting specific diversity standards. They went on to say that America should focus more on the particular qualifications a person brings to the job rather than on inclusivity.
On the other hand, the Democratic side argued that this mindset would further ignore the racism that many minorities have to deal with. This went directly against the right’s view, arguing that structural inequality isn’t as prevalent as Democrats claim.
Despite the differing views, all discussions remained cordial and constructive.
“The debate unfolded perfectly due to the exceptional organization and detailed work of the students who planned the event; most notably Anna Macaulay and Izzy Sardina. Every issue was debated in a balanced manner with exceptional timekeepers,” Rose said.
As the night wrapped up, students continued discussing what they had heard—some still firm in their beliefs, others more open to new perspectives.
“As a junior at SHU, I’ve learned to be open-minded, especially with politics and current events,” said junior attendee Javier Alicea-Kahn. “Many of my peers are mixed, standing for both parties for different reasons.”
