Students and political enthusiasts gathered for the BYU College Democrats and College Republicans debate on Thursday, Jan. 30.
The debate, hosted jointly by the College Democrats and College Republicans clubs is held once each semester. Emma Moore, president of the College Democrats, emphasized the event’s enduring popularity.
“This event has been going on (since) before the beginning of time. It’s the most popular event for both clubs and allows us to express a lot of our opinions in a short amount of time,” Moore said.
BYU College Republicans President Dallin Bundy echoed the sentiment, highlighting the debate’s importance in fostering healthy discussion.
“We’ve really tried to increase civil, healthy discussion, dialogue and therefore debate. Just because we engage in discourse civilly doesn’t mean we are giving up our beliefs,” Bundy said. “It’s 100% important to be peaceful, because you lose credibility when you fail to reciprocate respect.”
This semester, club members debated politically relevant topics: the Laken Riley Act, the MORE Act, the abolition of the Department of Education and the Tennessee House Bill, among others. Each issue was debated by one member from each club, providing diverse perspectives on current legislation.
Each topic prompted passionate arguments as the audience listened intently, occasionally nodding in agreement. The debate over abolishing the Department of Education sparked a nuanced discussion on federal versus state control of education funding.
Blake Nelson, a BYU student representing the College Republicans club, argued in favor of abolishing the department.
“When you have a department trying to govern the entire country, it moves away from addressing needs at the local level,” Nelson said. “Abolishing the Department of Education is the first step toward returning to localized funding.”
His opponent, Danika Yuen, countered that removing federal oversight would widen the gap between privileged and underprivileged students.
Other topics received equally passionate arguments and diverse perspectives throughout the night. The event also incorporated audience-submitted questions, further engaging students in the discussion.
Beyond policy debates, the event served as a reminder of the importance of peaceful discourse and discussion in the current political climate. Elizabeth Blackburn, a student attendee, noted the importance of having discussions without hostility.
“There’s a lot of civilized debate that can happen between the two parties that isn’t anger-fueled,” Blackburn said. “Polarization drives us further apart, so it’s good to come together and discuss these issues without frustration.”
This debate also represented the political climate at BYU, showcasing the diversity of opinion on campus. As the most politically balanced university in Utah and one of the top 16 percent of the most politically diverse elite universities in America, students at BYU are no strangers to differences of opinions and perspectives.
As the semester progresses, both clubs aim to continue fostering meaningful dialogue. Ella Paligo, a College Democrats debater, summed up the significance of the event.
“We live in a politically divided climate, and we need to show others that we can have difficult conversations and still come out at the end being friends,” she said.