Students ‘Speak Up’ on issues

• Tweet
• 

Educational reform was the top election issue of discussion at the first “Speak Up, Speak Out” forum.

Students filled the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium to debate about standardized testing, class size, funding and other issues, as five panelists were on hand Monday night to discuss the 2002 Michigan gubernatorial election.

“You are hiring the next governor of Michigan,” said panel orator Craig Ruff, political science instructor. “What are you looking for? You are creating the job description.”

Students named tax relief, employment, reproductive rights, protection for the unborn child, education reform, campaign reform and prescription drug reform as the issues they believed were most important.

Panel members included Westland junior Jesse Purdon, CMU College Republicans president and Students for Posthumus chairman; Commerce Twp. junior Megan Burke, Green Party representative; Fraser senior Mike Plutschuck, CMU College Democrats Association president and vice president of College Democrats Association of Michigan; Douglas Roscoe, political science assistant professor; and special guest Douglas Campbell, Green Party gubernatorial candidate.

“Hopefully, if we get the knowledge out, students will realize that this is an important election,” Purdon said. “If all college students went out and voted, they could sway the election.”

Subjects receiving the most attention were education and economy.

“We have to rebuild and modernize our schools and figure a budget to have smaller class sizes,” Plutschuck said.

Local control and funding for schools also was addressed.

“I believe in local control. Funding comes largely from property taxes, which means the more money your parents make, the better education you will get,” Burke said.

Some panelists were optimistic about Michigan education.

“Michigan’s education needs improvement, but this is going to be a record year. We spend more on public education than any other part of the state budget,” Purdon said.

Panelists as well as audience member’s opinions on the economy were varied.

“We have to get the economy moving again by creating high-tech, high-wage jobs,” Plutschuck said.

Some students attending the forum said it was helpful, but did not sway their votes.

“It didn’t make a decision for me but it helped me mull over their stances. It was nice to see the Green Party,” said Anna-Marie Presta, Deckerville junior.

Other students thought that nothing was accomplished by the forum.

“The fact that they didn’t discuss the issues, but turned it into a mudslinging debate surprised me the most,” said Ryan Tetloff, Midland junior.

The panel members said they were happy with the outcome of the forum.

“I think that when we do surveys of younger people, they don’t talk about politics. This forum allows them to hear what was good and bad about the candidates from their peers,” Roscoe said.