What college students want to ask at the Democratic debate
Drake University students won't have a typical fall college weekend -- instead their campus is playing a role in presidential politics, hosting the second Democratic debate on Saturday night. Students have been gearing up for this for months, and it has made some of them think more about what issues matter most to them. If they could ask the candidates one question what would it be? Here are some of those questions. (These students won't be in the audience -- only 75 from the university will -- but they will be watching from the student watch party on campus.)
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Britton Hansen, an 18-year-old from New Mexico, thinks the Paris attacks will have a huge influence on Saturday's debate. She has seen lot of engagement on her Facebook feed to the Paris attacks -- and said that a lot of her conservative friends are talking about the fact that gun control laws in France didn't prevent the attack.
"I'm wondering if the candidates tonight will react to that accordingly. I think it's important to talk about it and raise awareness. And with Bernie (Sanders) especially," she said. She thinks he will take a harder stance on gun control, which would be smart for him. So her question tonight is on gun control.
Hansen's question: How are the Paris attacks going to affect how your campaign?
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Derby Matt, also 18 years old, is a Sanders fan, but the one thing that she does not agree with him on is gun control. The Minnesotan is an advocate for stricter gun control laws. For her, it's an important issue to address tonight. As a result of the Paris attacks, she is also worried about the larger implications of worldwide terror.
Matt's question: What steps would you take to control nuclear weapons worldwide?
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Jared Freemon, sporting rectangular black-rimmed glasses and a green t-shirt, sat down last week with two of his friends to talk about the issues they are care about most. As an African American from Kansas and a junior at Drake, he is interested in racial inequality in the U.S., a subject that has gotten fresh attention in the past week with protests at college campuses across the country. He is interested in the specifics from the candidates, not just the talking points.
Freemon's question: None of you identify as persons of color. How do you plan to work with community groups and members of movements like black lives matter to tackle some of the issues faced by African Americans?
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A San Francisco native, Rebecca Christopoulos, came to Drake for the politics. Her Mom is an Iowan, but she really wanted to come to dive into the politics. "Oh yes!" she said when asked if she would like to work on a campaign someday, adding that she would even considering running for office herself. So she's looking to get into the candidates heads with her question to know what influenced them when they were her age.
Christopoulos's question: If you could go back and give your college-aged self one piece of advice, what would it be?
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As the President of Drake University Democrats, Brianna Steirer is one of the busiest students ahead of the Drake debate. She knew it was coming. "I have basically accepted the fact that I am not going to sleep for a while," she explained at 8 a.m. in a coffee shop near campus last week. Her head is spinning as national media and politicians staffers come her way with questions. "Oh man, they have been very insistent," she says of all three campaigns. But she has an important question of her own -- related to her senior capstone project, in which is studying the experience of previously incarcerated individuals trying to re-enter the workforce.
Steirer's question: Millions of our fellow Americans are behind bars, and a grossly disproportionate amount of these individuals are minorities. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want to work on this issue. As president, how would you work with Republicans to solve these issues in our criminal justice system?
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At 21 years old Madeline Meyer, a senior at Drake, has seen politics at many different levels -- she is from Pella, Iowa where her father was the CEO of Pella Corporation. He carried out layoffs during 2008 that affected the parents of kids that she knew. She understands how an economic downturn affects a small town. Then, last summer she interned in the White House and was able to see politics through a different lens.
Meyer's question: It is widely believed that Democrats do not respect or understand corporations. Have you ever run a business or what experiences have you had that give you an understanding for how big businesses work?