Wednesday evening, the College Republicans hosted their first event as a recognized club. The Law Behind Executive Orders took place in Maxcy 309, and was co-hosted by the College Republicans and the Legal Society.

Students in attendance were given a list of the most controversial recent executive orders, which were discussed one by one throughout the event. Discussion was led by Brian Sharnick, President of the College Republicans. The night progressed very peacefully and respectfully and, although both Sharnick and Jenna Racz, Vice President of the Legal Society, were ready to act as moderators, none were needed.

“I thought to plan this event because the main reason College Republicans was founded on this campus was to protect free speech,” explained Sharnick. He continued saying that he doesn’t feel the University has a good history of tolerance for opposing viewpoints, and doesn’t always allow University students to hear different opinions.

“College Republicans’ intentions are to allow students the opportunity to express themselves and their beliefs, therefore we thought this event would allow everyone to have an open dialogue with one another,” Sharnick said.

While attendance was lower than expected, due to an unforeseen conflict with a Political Science Speaker Series event, everyone was happy with the quality of the students who did attend.

“The students who were in attendance were very much engaged in discussion and had an honest and open dialogue with one another about a lot of the key issues people are currently worked up about,” stated Sharnick.

Throughout the discussion, and as various executive orders were discussed, the emotional charge associated with the orders was taken into account, as differing viewpoints were discussed. Discussion including the reasons behind the orders and the opposing viewpoints surrounding them, with the goal being mutual understanding from both sides. “The biggest take-away message was simply respect those around you,” Sharnick made clear.  

The sides of issues were represented by various members of the College Republicans and the Legal Society. “I posed questions that would have been brought on by those who oppose the new executive orders, not to debate, but rather to discuss those concerns. College Republican members explained their stance, while I explained the other,” Racz explained about the setup of the discussion.

“I feel that throughout the discussion everyone got a clearer understanding of why people felt so opposed, or supported each of the executive orders. The talk got down to the rationale behind the laws and what impact people think it will have on the United States,” continued Racz.

Sharnick had similar sentiments regarding the flow of conversation and the atmosphere of the event. “My favorite part of the event was that everyone felt free to respectfully speak their minds. Everyone there had a captive audience who was respectful which is something we do not see all that often in similar events that have taken part on this campus,” he explained.

Racz saw this event as an opportunity for growth as she explained her realization from the event.

“Many people demonize Republicans, including members of this new club, as racists or people who are full of hate,” she said. “I discovered during this discussion, that while I may not agree with the same things members of this new political organization do, they hold no malice towards anyone and have rational reasons behind each of their assertions.”