Becky Vander Sluis, Lindsey Dymond, Kelcey Sherd and Courtney Overbey debated about whether or not Michigan should forbid the construction of new casinos to an audience of 27 in Moore 112.

The debate was the capstone project in COM 267L: Introduction to Debate, and the four chose to debate publicly for extra credit.

Holland freshman Vander Sluis and Livonia freshman Dymond were on the affirmative side arguing for a ban. She opened the debate by advocating a policy change which would ban construction of new casinos in Michigan and keep the existing ones running.

On the negative side were Sherd, a Grand Ledge freshman, and Overbey, an Onsted freshman. They argued against the affirmative’s point that new casinos would increase accessibility to gambling addicts.

“We wanted to pick a topic that was relevant to the audience,” Vander Sluis said. “With a lot of students being 18 or older, I think it went well. We created a good clash.”

Assistant Professor of Communication and Dramatic Arts Jeff Drury is the course instructor and said the debate was one of 10 being presented throughout three weeks.

“These students are now experts on the topics they are debating,” Drury said. “The goal is to share information and engage people and students from the community on issues facing society.”

The debate was the second in a triple-header Tuesday night. The other two debates dealt with providing birth control to students and the elimination process for tenured teachers.

Drury said he likes giving students the freedom to pick their own topics, especially when the students’ topics are ones he would not have suggested.

Steve Couture, an English language institute instructor, required his students to come to the debate as an example for their persuasive speech assignment.

“I thought it was a good, informative debate,” Couture said. “The (students) did a good job at looking and understanding both sides of the issue.”

Thursday night will feature another triple header starting at 6 p.m in Moore 112. The topics will include providing money to public elementary schools for healthier lunches, implementing the death penalty and eliminating standardized testing in higher education.

There will also be a debate on legalizing euthanasia at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 and one dealing with banning homeschooling at 6 p.m. on Dec. 8.

I was shocked at the comments made by Vincent Cavataio in regard to the “inappropriate” ways the Faculty Association was protesting.

I could care less what side of the fence he is on on the debate between the FA and the administration; what had stoked the coals of my ire was his attitude toward protesting.

So, I made some snarky comments on Facebook, as I sometimes do.

Mr. Cavataio then responded with, “I am always willing to debate in an appropriate forum.”

Well, I sent him an email (which he gave me in a post on the FA wall, which has recently been removed) to do just that.

In that email, I attempted to set up a time and place for us to publicly debate (he had attempted to lure me into some back room discussion at the SGA office, but seeing that his comments were made in the very public sphere of a campus newspaper, I felt it necessary to debate in public).

“It seems that you are of the ilk that believe that there are appropriate and inappropriate places and times for civil action,” I said. “On the other hand, I believe that any time and place is appropriate for a protest. We can take these sides of the argument, debating and discussing in a one-on-one freeform debate. No low blows, moderator(s) if you’d like. I will suggest using the orchestra in the Moore/Brooks/Music Building quadrangle. Sunday, October 16th 5:00 p.m.?”

As he was the one who cast down the gauntlet, tradition dictates that I, as the one who picks it up, have the pleasure of choosing the details of the contest.

He responded with an attempt to weasel out of this, trying to steer me toward taking my problems to the administration.

He missed the point completely. This has nothing to do with the FA issue, although that was the impetus for his comments. I was speaking of the much larger issue of what it is to be a modern American citizen. This was me taking my civic duty seriously, calling out a public official (or relatively so), for his comments that essentially said to students, “If what you have to say is inconvenient, don’t say it.”

This was a citizen taking up another citizen’s challenge.

We shared several other emails in an attempt for me to get him to follow through on his offer to no avail. Honestly, I feel it very cowardly of him to brush me off like this. He even said at one point that he being a high and mighty advocate for the students, his time was far too valuable to waste on the likes of me, a simple commoner, a booze peddler. All I want is to have this discussion in public so the most citizens possible can benefit from a meaningful exploration of what the framers of our nation had in mind when they cast off their own chains and said that we ALL are free. Is that not in the truest spirit of democracy?

So the challenge still stands, and all I am met with is passing the buck. Mr. Cavataio, you said you are willing to debate. Why do you run away?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau once wrote, “So long as a people are constrained to obey, and obeys, it does well; but as soon as it can shake off the yoke, and shakes it off, it does better; for since it regains its freedom by the same right that removed it, a people is either justified in taking back its freedom, or there is no justifying those who took it away.”

I truly hope Mr. Cavataio reconsiders his pathetic cowardice.

Benjamin M. Sidou
Mount Pleasant resident

The court heard oral arguments Tuesday regarding a California law seeking to prohibit the sale or rental of such games to minors.

California Deputy Attorney General Zackery Morazzini asked the court to adopt a law permitting states to restrict minors’ ability to purchase “deviant,” violent video games.

However, several justices questioned the validity of such a law during the Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association oral hearing .

“What’s a deviant violent video game?” Justice Antonin Scalia asked. “As opposed to what? A normal violent video game? Some of the Grimm’s fairy tales are quite grim, to tell you the truth.”

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg questioned whether the considerations can be limited to video games without including other media.

Morazzini said California lawmakers were provided with substantial evidence that video games in which minors play the role of an aggressor are harmful to the development of those individuals.

Additionally, he said, video games can be deemed “deviant” by implementing the Miller standard, a test to determines when explicit material is obscene and unprotected by the First Amendment.

Scalia said he is concerned the California law infringes on First Amendment rights.

“You are asking us to create a whole new prohibition which the American people never ratified when they ratified the First Amendment,” he said. “What’s next after violence?”

In the wrong?

Justice Stephen Breyer asked why it would be wrong for a state to institute a law requiring parents to purchase games with violent content for their children.

Paul Smith, a lawyer representing the video game industry, said the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the nonprofit that rates the maturity of video games, is enough to alert parents about a game’s content.

“We do have a new medium here,” Smith said, “but we have a history in this country of new mediums coming along and people vastly overreacting to them, thinking the sky is falling, our children are all going to be turned into criminals.”

Jennifer Mercurio, vice president and general counsel of the nonprofit Entertainment Consumers Association, said this is a huge case for the gaming industry.

“There are a number of arguments premised upon each other for this case,” she said in an e-mailed response, “but the underlying main question that answers most of them is whether or not video games are protected speech in the same way that other entertainment media are.”

If the Supreme Court decides video games are not protected speech, she said, “a chilling wind will blow through the industry and the development of ground-breaking video games could be curtailed.”

Grosse Pointe Farms graduate student Alex Grabski said video games are a form of artistic expression and violent content is often appropriate to a game’s narrative.

“Ultimately, it comes down to a parent’s decision, if they think their kid is mature enough to handle what’s in a game,” he said. “Violence can be done well in games and can be done appropriately.”

Grabski said he’s nervous about the idea of the government deciding what games are too violent for minors.

“It puts the decision as to what should be censored and what should not be censored into someone else’s hands, it becomes much more subjective than objective in terms of rating,” he said. “Who’s to say they’re the best judge, particularly if it’s some kind of parent’s council or something.”

Michigan voters should make a point to watch the debate, taking place at 7 p.m. and broadcast on public television.

Although debates are more structured, prepared and formal than many other forums in which the candidates may express their views and policies, it is a tradition that has continued because it does have value. It allows the voting public to see how candidates perform under pressure and in the face of their opponent.

While it’s disappointing that no more debates could be agreed upon, that makes this event much more important.

Snyder, who has led the polls in a commanding fashion so far, could see a significant shift against him should he not be able to perform against the more politically-seasoned Bernero.

After several weeks without an agreement made between the two as to whether or not to schedule a debate, on Sept. 22 one was finally scheduled for Sunday.

This caused a discussion to spark, whether or not debates were even necessary, or if they should be replaced with unscripted “town hall”-style meetings and forums. While those certainly have their place in campaign strategies, they are not a valid replacement for a debate.

Although many debate responses are prepared in advance, there is still much to be learned about candidates involved in a debate; how they speak, how they react, how they improvise, et cetera.

Even the smallest gaffe in a debate, such as John McCain’s infamous “That one” statement toward Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, can heavily affect the outcome of an election.

Since Bernero and Snyder are only debating once before the Nov. 2 election, the effects of Sunday could be monumental for either candidate.

If Snyder manages to perform at least admirably, the election could be all but a lock for the political rookie. Conversely, if Bernero can score a decisive victory Sunday, he may be able to significantly tip the scales in his favor.

Either way, this is a debate that politic-hounds in Michigan will want to see the outcome of, and all voters should as well.

The debate will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 2 in a location to be determined.

State Sen. Tom George, R-Kalamazoo, confirmed has attendance. Invitations also were sent out Nov. 24 to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, Attorney General Mike Cox and U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland and Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder.

“It’s a critical time in Michigan right now, and we need to see who the candidates running for governor are so students can get involved and see, ‘Do I like this candidate or don’t I?’” said Hart junior and Campus Conservatives President Bryant Greiner. “The economy’s down, and we know someone is coming in new next year and we want to get students thinking who they are going to vote for in the primaries.”

George, a medical doctor, was elected in 2002 to the state Senate after serving one term in the state House.

Former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis and Inside Michigan Politics editor and former Griffin Endowed Chair Bill Ballenger will moderate the debate.

“Bill Ballenger is a pretty big name in the state, so we thought he would be a great moderator to ask the questions,” Greiner said. “With Saul Anuzis being the former Michigan Republican Party Chairman, he’s got the experience, and we thought it would be a good gesture to have him be a part of this.”

Anuzis served as chairman of the state party from 2005 until 2009 and was among the candidates for chairman of the republican National Committee earlier this year. He is currently chairman of Newt Gingrich’s Save Americans Jobs Project.

Ballenger is a former legislator, state racing commissioner and deputy assistant secretary in the administration of President Gerald Ford. He has been editor of Inside Michigan Politics since founding the publication in 1987.

“Without even having all the candidates to respond yet and to already have the two big-name moderators decide to put their faith in us is great,” Bryant said. “We are extremely happy.”

Setting it up

Campus Conservatives is exploring options for a venue for the debate.

“As of right now, things are still up in the air,” Greiner said. “We are currently working to get Plachta (Auditorium).”

Greiner said he is hoping for a lot of interest locally and statewide.

“We look forward to hopefully being on TV to show the campus off in a good way. To show that we have a great place to have debates and stuff like that and to put our names out there as Campus Conservatives.”

Lansing senior Joseph Nelson said the debate would be a great event to bring to campus.

“I think it’s got the potential to be interesting,” Nelson said. “It’s also good to try to spur political involvement on campus because college students tend to be politically apathetic.”

He said although he is liberal, he can still find substance in a conservative debate, and an event such as this should interest all students.

“This will help Republican voters determine the best candidate within their party,” he said. “No matter what your political affiliation is, you should attend this debate.”

The CMU ticket office has received an extra 1,000 tickets for Friday’s Mid-American Conference Championship game after the initial supply of 6,000 had nearly sold out. Tickets are $10 for end zone seats and $20 for sideline seats. The office, in the Rose Center, will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and Thursday to sell tickets for the game. The game against Ohio will take place at 8 p.m. Friday at Ford Field in Detroit.

Space Invaders exhibit

A collaboration of artwork from students in the art department’s Topics Course: Space Invaders class is on display from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in the Charles V. Park Library Extended Hours Study Room. A joint reception with Amy Reckley, resident artist and guest faculty member, is from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the University Art Gallery. The event is free. For more information, contact Megan Moreno at 774-2165.

Public Debate

Students from Central Michigan University’s COM 267: Introduction to Debate are having multiple debates from 7 to 9 p.m. today and 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday in Moore Hall Room 206. The debates today begin with whether standardized testing should be a factor in college admittance, whether public schools should stop teaching cursive and whether the U.S. should lower the drinking age to 18. Thursday’s debates will include three topics — whether the United States should outlaw the use of mobile telephones while driving, whether the U.S. should legalize the use and availability of marijuana and another debate on whether the U.S. should lower the drinking age to 18. The hour-long debates are free. For more information, contact Jeff Drury at 774-3950.

Drawing in Florence

The Drawing in Florence art exhibit is on display from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in the Bovee University Center in the Multicultural Education Center. The exhibit will showcase student art from the summer art program in Florence, Italy. Admission is free. For more information, contact Ulana Klymyshyn at 774-7318.

Retention Matters

Find out what is happening in the world of retention from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the Education and Human Services Building Room 315. The hour-long Retention Matters focuses on university retention data, initiatives and the next steps the university departments can take to help increase the rate of student success at Central Michigan University. This event is facilitated by Shawn Wilson and Amy McGinnis. For more information, contact Nate Holmes at 774-6447.

Christmas concert

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship is hosting a benefit Christmas concert from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Central Assembly of God, on Lincoln Street between High and Pickard streets. The concert is free and will accept donations to benefit a student volunteer trip to Jamaica over spring break. The Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship is performing Christmas favorites. The event will have free cookies, hot chocolate and coffee. For more information, contact Madison Kloss at (231) 838-6911.

Pancake breakfast

Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity is hosting its semester pancake breakfast from 10:30 p.m. Thursday to 2:30 a.m. Friday at the Wesley Foundation, 1400 S. Washington St. Tickets are $5 from a fraternity member at $6 at the door. All proceeds will go to Children’s Miracle Network.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department is investigating a larceny reported at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday at 1208 Burch St., in which jewelry valued at $4,586 was taken. Police are interviewing a group of high school students that were at the residence Monday, said MPPD Public Information Officer Dave Sabuda. The mother of one of the students noticed the jewelry was missing after the group left.

Debate on tanning beds

There will be an hour-long public debate on “Should the U.S. outlaw tanning beds?” from 7 to 8:15 p.m. today in Moore Hall Room 105. This issue will be debated by Central Michigan University students from COM 267: Introduction to Debate. They will debate both sides of the issue on tanning beds. The arguments are followed by questions/discussion from the audience. For more information, contact Jeff Drury in the Department of Communication and Dramatic Arts at 774-3950.

Scholarship Exhibition

Central Michigan University students who are recipients of Art Department scholarships are featuring their work from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday in the University Art Gallery’s West Gallery. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the art gallery at 774-3800.

Issue Day

Issue Day provides resources to the Central Michigan University community through a one-day conference. The presentation covers a wide range of topics that will allow attendees to increase their knowledge about certain issues from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the Bovee University Center Rotunda. For more information, contact the Volunteer Center at 774-7685.

Turkey Trot

Fabiano Hall is having its annual Turkey Trot on Sunday. It is a 5k walk/run around campus from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting in the Fabiano Hall lobby. After the walk/run, participants will be served a pancake breakfast. Check-in begins at 10 a.m. and the race starts at 11:11 a.m. Registration and race starts outside Fabiano Hall by the fountains. There are gift certificate prizes available. Runners/ walkers can sign up by e-mailing turkeytrot2009@yahoo.com with their name, contact number and shirt size, or just register that morning. For more information, contact Celani/Fabiano staff Steve Wincent at (517) 936-8438. Admission is $10.

Box Stuffing

Volunteers can help stuff Thanksgiving boxes at the Salvation Army from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday at Salvation Army, 1308 Burch St. Contact Erin Herrington with questions at the Volunteer Center at 773-4663.

In Whose Honor

“In Whose Honor: American Indian Mascots in Sports” is a documentary on the Native American groups and their struggles, followed by a discussion. The event takes place from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Monday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium. This event is a part of Native American Heritage Month and sponsored by the Native American Programs. For more information, contact Native American Programs Director Colleen Green at 774-2508. Admission is free.

David Garcia Project

Training for David Garcia Project facilitators will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in the Lake Michigan Room in the Bovee University Center. Training is sponsored by the Volunteer Center. For more information, contact Jenny Jordan in the Volunteer Center at volunteer.center@cmich.edu.

The third annual WCMU Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. now through Dec. 18 in central and northern Michigan. To collect new or gently-worn sweaters, WCMU is partnering with several organizations to give to those in need this winter. For dropoff information, visit cmu.org or drop off sweaters at the Central Michigan University Public Broadcasting Center. For more information, contact Renee Schaver at (800) 727-9268 or shave1rr@cmich.edu.

Fall leaf pick-up

Sunday is the last day for residents to rake leaves into the streets. City crews will make one final pickup Monday. Some guidelines to insure leaf removal are raking leaves into the street along the curb or to the street shoulders in uncurbed areas and to raking leaves into street gutters in low piles. On Pickard, Mission and High streets, where traffic prohibits leaves in the gutters, leaves can be raked between the curb and sidewalk. Bagged leaves, branches, grass clippings and garden cuttings will not be picked up.

FYE Peer Mentors

The selection process for First Year Experience mentors for the 2010-11 academic year is beginning. FYE peer mentors have the opportunity to help students transition to Central Michigan University and the college atmosphere through the FYE 101: First Year Experience course. Students can get information and an online application at fye.cmich.edu/mentors-prosp.htm. For more information, contact Jana Lewis at lewis3jm@cmich.edu or Jason Bentley at bentl1jm@cmich.edu.

Anspach speaker

Laury Silvers, A visiting assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s department for the study of religion, is speaking from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Anspach Hall room 161. The Female or Shared Authority Movement in North American Islam seeks to open up the role of community prayer leader to women from within the boundaries of traditional Islamic Law and practice. Silvers is a scholar of Islam and a participant in the movement and is discussing the basic legal issues surrounding woman-led prayer, the nature of the resistance to it, how the movement is challenging male-only authority and how the goal of her movement relates to the aspirations of other varieties of feminism. For more information, contact Betty Lewis at 774-3444 or lewis1ec@cmich.edu.

Public debate

Central Michigan University students will debate from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Thursday in Moore Hall Room 105. The public debate will be presented by students from COM 267: Intro to Debate and will debate whether public schools should wear uniforms. The debate will introduce opening arguments from both sides and then the prepared arguments will be followed by question and discussion from the audience. Admission is free. For more information, contact Jeff Drury at 774-3950 or drury1jp@cmich.edu.

Turkey Trot

A 5k walk/run around the campus of Central Michigan University takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday starting at Fabiano Hall’s lobby. Check-ins will begin at 10 a.m. and the race will begin at 11:11 a.m. Immediately following the race, participants will receive a pancake breakfast. Registration and race will be outside Fabiano Hall by the fountains. Prizes will consist of gift certificates. A participant can sign up at the event or by e-mailing turkeytrot2009@yahoo.com. Include name, number and shirt size. The cost is $10 to participate in the race and everyone gets a shirt. For more information, contact Steve Wincent at (517) 936-8438.