Students at the University of Nevada, Reno filed into the theater at the Joe Crowley Student Union Tuesday to watch the debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The event was organized by the UNR Center for Student Engagement.
The doors opened at 5:45 p.m., and by about 7:00 p.m., more than 120 students were watching the debate. For context, the theater can seat 200 people. With less than 60 days remaining until Election Day, many students were feeling energized.
Julia Tevet, sophomore, showed up to the debate because she wanted to get a better idea of who she would be casting her vote for, but wasn’t exactly thrilled about her choices.
“I’m excited to vote, but when the results are revealed I know I’ll be disappointed no matter who wins,” Tevet said.
The debate, which centered around issues such as abortion, immigration, and the economy, had students watching closely. For many, the stakes felt higher than ever.
During the debate, there were moments of collective laughter, cheering and clapping. In tense moments between Harris and Trump, you could hear gasps and little side conversations.
When the broadcast went to commercial, there was plenty of discussion happening in the audience about how people feel about the candidates’ responses. Some were impressed, and others not.
Marlee Troutman, freshman, created a bingo card and was crossing off squares that had predictions. This is Troutman’s first time voting in a presidential election.
“Right now I’m one spot from getting a bingo,” Troutman said. “I was just waiting for a JD Vance joke and then I’ve got 5 in a row.”
All jokes aside, this was an opportunity for students to participate in serious political discourse. For most college students, this is their time voting in a presidential election, and it was critical to learn as much as possible about the candidates.
Freshman Greyson Ramirez-Gartner, a democrat, was chatting with Troutman during the debate. He says he has way more confidence in Harris over Trump.
“Some of the stuff Trump says just makes no sense,” Ramirez-Gartner said. “The way he responds to questions doesn’t really correspond with what’s being asked.”
The watch party was organized to bring students from any political background into one room to be able to have civil discussions about their candidates.
Marco Moreno, director of elections and democratic engagement for the Center of Student Engagement and an organizer, feels that there needs to be a stronger sense of community.
“It feels like we’re just getting more and more divided,” Moreno said. “It’s also about getting students civically engaged, thinking about the election all the way until it happens, and getting them informed about both candidates.”
Moreno says he was more than satisfied with the turnout for the watch party. He also noted that CSE will hold similar events in the future.
“It’s exceeded more than I expected and I hope that at our later event we’ll see a similar turnout.”
Nick Stewart can be reached at ns@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @nickk_stewart.
