On Tuesday, February 4th, over 150 students and faculty attended the first Discourse in Democracy event of the spring semester, a State of the Union Watch Party. Students enjoyed pizza, soda, and cookies while watching the President’s address. Michael Goodner, a public administration junior, reported that watching the State of the Union was “more interesting around people that are just as interested in politics as I am.” Before the President opened, students had the opportunity to watch excerpts from State of the Union addresses delivered by Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Other students used the time to ask questions regarding the State of the Union to professors who attended the event. Students also heard from Dr. Thomas Varacalli, who gave a brief background lecture on the history and structure of the State of the Union address.
“The crowd turnout was a lot bigger than what I expected,” observed graduate student Noe Garcia. He added that this was “probably due to the fact that our politics today is extremely interesting, regardless of [one’s] party preference.” Public administration senior Braden Kropp observed that “even in the face of today’s polarization, there are moments in the address where all of us can come together and celebrate the past generations who served and sacrificed to protect our rights.”
