By: Luke Byerly ~Managing Editor~

In light of the impending Election Day, the political clubs of Xavier have collaborated in an attempt to inform students of each party’s platforms with the first annual Inter Club Plat-Forum.
The forum, which will be held at 8 p.m. on Nov. 1 in Kennedy Auditorium, will feature unofficial spokesmen for the three major parties of the upcoming election. Young American’s for Liberty (YAL) will be unofficially speaking for the Libertarian Party, College Republicans will be speaking unofficially for the Republican Party and College Democrats will be speaking unofficially for the Democratic Party.
A certain amount of the discussion will also be allotted to the presidential candidates of each party, but will focus on the relationship of those platforms to their specific party’s platform.
Two people from each club, who have yet to be determined, will answer questions about issues directed by Political Science Club’s President, Gil Guthrie, and advisor, Dr. Mack Mariani.
The forum marks the first time that all four of these clubs have collaborated for a single event. Planning for the forum started in late September and early October.
After the controversy of the recent presidential debates, the collaboration was designed by the club leaders as a way to inform student voters about each party with a more controlled and issue-oriented approach.
“This event is important to the Xavier Democrats, because it promotes a feeling of unity in the midst of what has otherwise been a divisive election. The forum allows for a dialogue to arise from different perspectives in an environment that is civil and respectful. Our goal is to educate students on party issues and to get them motivated to vote. Our generation has the most important role in this election and we cannot sit back and let November 8th pass us by without a say,” Elizabeth Green, president of Xavier College Democrats, said.
With the debates recently coming to a close, the event also serves as a way for the clubs to inform students about the presidential candidates’ and their respective party’s positions on issues that may not have been addressed in the presidential debates.
“As we watched the first presidential debate we realized that the information getting out to people was incomplete, not only was one candidate not on stage, but the candidates weren’t addressing the issues that people have to deal with every day. We want this event to be a chance for the Xavier community to come out and learn about what each candidate wants to do, what they believe and how they want the country to operate moving forward,” James Hogan, vice-president of Xavier’s Young Americans for Liberty said.
The forum stresses a common point of each political club that being informed about each issue from multiple perspectives is an important duty for every voter.
“It is imperative for college students to seek every ounce of knowledge they can before casting a ballot. I am excited to use this opportunity to speak for conservatives on campus and spread the truth about our mission,” Kennedy Copeland, president of Xavier College Republicans, said.
You must be logged in to post a comment.