Nov. 3 marked the calendar for National Election Day, so the Student Committee of Planning and Events (SCOPE) decided to collaborate with two organizations for a debate: the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and the College Republicans.
Students filed into the German Club this past Friday night to see the two organizations discuss a wide range of topics. There were topics that revolved around real world issues that were placed alongside ones that got a good laugh from the audience.
Another perk of attending the event was getting to add to the conversations, rather than just listening to the people on stage. However, there was a time limit of five to six minutes per topic implemented that forced people to keep their answers short and concise.
One of the questions posed was about what the University of New Haven could do for students’ mental health. Ved Gray, the College Republicans’ treasurer and a senior forensic science major, jokingly said for them to pay his tuition which led to a loud applause from the audience.
Mason Smith, the president of YDSA and junior political science major, started off the conversation by saying that the university should be listening more closely to the Counseling and Psychological Services to try and implement mental health days into the academic calendar.
He mentioned schools such as Harvard and Cornell, which have “very comprehensive mental health programs,” but also have a lot more money than New Haven.
“It’s not an all-encompassing solution, but it would show us as students that the university cares about our mental well-being and is willing to plan events or programs or some sort of activities where we can focus on ourselves, we can grow as people, we can reflect on where we’re lacking [and] where we can do better,” Smith said.
The conversation then directed toward professors and how they handle student needs. Nicholette Daniele, the College Republicans’ vice president and senior forensic science major, said “they should also understand that we are all adults here, and I hate more than anything when a professor says that a certain assignment is due this day with no exceptions.”
The discussion then took a turn when Malcolm Rowe, a College Republicans general member and junior criminal justice major, said that mental health days and breaks are the “three-day weekends most of us get every weekend,” which includes Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Rowe mentioned being in the military and working prior to coming to the university. Rowe added that college is “the easiest time of your life; you guys don’t really have to worry about bills, you guys don’t have to worry about rent, you’re living in the dorms and your parents are most likely paying for it.”
Many members of the audience disagreed with this sentiment, one of which stood up and said that not all students experience the same thing.
There were more campus centric questions asked, such as what should be the next thing built on campus. Donald Demollari, the College Republicans’ president and sophomore cybersecurity and networks major, said that there should be more parking spots built. “It took me way longer to get here to this [event and] to find parking,” said Demollari. “I just want to be able to park.”
Smith was unsure of what to answer, so he said, “I don’t necessarily know what the university should build on campus first, but I know whatever it is should have student support behind it, first.” Smith brought up the removal of parking spots last year along with the building of the Peterson Performance Center was done without student say.
Gray later said that the school should work on building more student housing. “I know in the past few years, a lot of my friends who either missed registration or didn’t qualify, were straight up not allowed to be in any of the housings all because they were all full.”
Some topics pertaining to real world situations also came up, such as vegetarianism and veganism. Catie Carvalho, YDSA’s vice president and a junior criminal justice major, said while she is vegan and the diet has greatly improved her health, she recognized that “veganism does not work for everyone. I know there [are] people who have tried veganism and their health just deteriorated.”
Carvalho also brought up the inhumanity of slaughterhouses and how they treat animals being used for the meat and dairy business. “We need to treat animals with more dignity,” said Carvalho. “And if we are going to sustain ourselves off them, then treat them like actual living [and intelligent beings.]”
This was a sentiment shared by Gray, who said that does not influence his choice to consume meat and dairy, as the animal is already dead. “I believe in working to improve the [living] conditions of the animals, but there’s never not going to be a market for meat and dairy products,” said Gray.
After this, there were some topics that were discussed such as which state has the worst drivers. Gray said that as a Massachusetts native, he has heard the term “Massholes” used against those drivers, while Porrello, a Connecticut native, said that Connecticut drivers are “inconsistent” when stopping at lights and stop signs.
Pizza became another big talking point, as some participants said that chain restaurants such as Papa John’s that are open late at night, mentioned local restaurants such as Sally’s, while others said the best pizza is in New York.
At the end of the night, all the on-stage debaters gathered for conversation and to take a group photo.
