In a dark classroom, lit only by the large projector in the front of the room, about 40 students held their breath in anticipation as they watched Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shake hands for the first time on live television.
Classroom 29, a lecture hall in the Idaho Student Union, was filled with murmurs and side comments as a group mixed of Pre-Law and Political Science students watched the latest ABC News Presidential Debate on Tuesday.
The debate viewing party was the first major event organized by a new organization on campus – BridgeUSA. BridgeUSA is a national youth movement that fights against political division in the United States.
According to Brett Bare, president of the UI chapter, the organization was established on campus just two weeks ago, and it plans to host a political discussion on controversial topics soon.
When asked about the Bridge UI’s goals for the viewing party, Bare said, “We wanted to show that people are interested in politics, and we believe with BridgeUSA that people should stay informed, and even if you and I don’t agree on something, we should be able to have civil discourse.”
After the debate, the students were asked to raise their hands to vote on who had won the debate. The vote was almost unanimous – the winner was Harris.
When asked about her thoughts on the results of the poll, Bridge UI Secretary Bailey Davies said, “I still think there was a clear winner with that. I think a lot of people in the audience feel that way, which is interesting because there was a vast array of political opinions and backgrounds in the audience.”
“I think it was a tie,” said Bare when asked about the debate.
“Most people would probably disagree with that. I think both of them just rambled on too much. While Kamala was a bit more coherent, both candidates would cater off what the question actually was and talk about something that wasn’t actually related to the question.”
The stack of empty pizza boxes in the corner of the room and the energy of the crowd gave the event an ambiance of the Superbowl – but for politics.
BridgeUSA works through student led chapters throughout the country – both in colleges and high schools. Their purpose is to build diverse communities of people from all over the political spectrum. Rather than trying to change anyone’s mind, they believe in fostering opportunities for people to listen to others with open mindedness and find common ground.
Jacob Bindley, Bridge UI vice president said, “Especially now we live in such a divisive and polarized time. It’d be good to tamper down the temperature on college campuses all over America honestly. Getting the sides to realize that there is more that we agree on than disagree on.”