by Colleen Dabrowski
The Drew Democrats hosted a political forum on Monday, March 20, in the Space. The forum offered students and members of the Drew community a chance to sit on a panel and voice their opinions on the four questions posed by the event organizers. The questions were as follows, as provided on Drew Today: “1. How should the US handle the refugee situation in the Middle East? 2. How should the Trump Administration approach illegal immigration? 3. How should the government handle reproductive rights in America? 4. Should prisons serve as rehabilitative or punitive?” Panelists were allowed twenty minutes to discuss each question and, at the end of the allotted time, the forum was opened to the audience for further inquiries and opinions. For each question, panelists were rotated out in place of audience members in order to provide anyone who was interested with the opportunity to participate.
The event, co-sponsored by the Drew Republicans, attracted more than 20 people who identified as members of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Nancy Moemen (‘17), Acting President of the Drew Democrats and the event’s emcee, commented on the success of the forum stating, “Something that was great about the forum was all the conversations that the forum created between students across party lines.” Though representing diverse political viewpoints, the forum’s participants remained civil throughout the event. “This generation can be the one that builds bridges during a time where politics are dangerously divided,” Moemen concluded.
