The University of Denver will be hosting the first 2012 presidential debate. Most students feel this has made the student body more informed and politically active. They are more comfortable expressing political views and have become involved in debate preparations through committees and political organizations. The debate has fostered greater political discussion on campus.

1. The University of Denver will be
hosting the first of the 2012
presidential debates.
Most students feel that this
debate has created a more
informed and politically active
student body.

2. “I definitely think the debate makes students more
aware of the role they could have in the political
process. I would also say that more students at DU
will actually travel to the polls on Election Day
because of the feeling of political activism on our
campus,” said Kristin Van Horn, a senior at the
University of Denver.

3. “Prior to the debate,
students rarely
confessed their views
and therefore the
campus was left with an
‘impartial’ air to it. Now,
sides are becoming
more apparent and
politics are taking to the
forefront in student’s
interests,” explained
Keirra Barnes, a DU
junior.

4. Many changes have been made to the DU curriculum and courses offered
because of the debate. More classes educating students on political
platforms and issues have help students to better understand public policy.

5. “The upcoming debate has led to a higher interest in the state of our country at DU and as a
result, students seem to have gone to greater lengths to make sure they are involved in one of
the biggest decisions we make as a country.” –Barnes, a senior at DU

6. The student body has
contributed
time, money, research, and
ideas to the debate
preparations.
The politically active portion
of the student body has
contributed largely in the
form of committees, much
like the one featured to the
right.

7. Raising voter awareness
has been an integral
part of the student
activism on campus in
recent months.
“I know many people
on the board to help
organize and put on the
debate, and I have
friends in both the DU
Dems and College
Republicans that have
been spreading voting
awareness.”
-Libby McCarter, a DU
senior

8. Most students say
that they are more
comfortable
expressing their
political affiliation
with other students
because the debate
has fostered political
discussion and
education.

9. “Tableing” in the Driscoll Bridge
has given political organizations on
campus the chance to connect
with students who hold similar
political ideals.
Many students have signed up to
be members of these political
groups because they are more
confident in expressing their
affiliation, whether than be
Democrat, Republican, Independe
nt, et cetera.

10. Many students feel that this debate will make
their education from DU more important after
graduation.

11. Stephanie Winsor, head of the
Issues Alley Student Debate
Committee, has said “I am
excited that DU will be hosting
this debate because it gave
students without prior political
knowledge the opportunity to
educate themselves on the
issues as well as enabling
students like myself with a
passion for politics to become
directly involved in the political
process.”

12. Because so many students have become
involved in the debate and wish to attend,
the University of Denver held a lottery
system to make distribution of tickets as fair
as possible.
The ticket winners were announced two
days before the debate in front of Sturm
while media waited to see the excited faces
of those who won.

13. Students have been
helping to compile
Debate Watch kits for DU
alumni.
Alumni will be using these
kits while hosting Debate
Watch Parties with fellow
alumn, enabling student
activism among those
who have already
graduated.

14. Student access to campus has
been increasingly limited as
the debate draws
near, particularly with the
restrictions placed by the
gates surrounding the Ritchie
Center.
While some students express
frustration about these
limitations, most say that this
has only built anticipation for
the debate.

15. Students cannot ignore
the political air about
campus as they travel
from class to class.
The University of Denver
has made the debate a
very well known to its
students and the public.
Many students believe
that the debate will
make DU more
nationally known and
that its effects are not
limited to the political
activism seen on
campus.