Illinois State University’s Voter Engagement Coalition is hosting a virtual Presidential Debate Watch Party on Thursday, October 22, with pre- and post-debate discussions directed by University debate experts.
The pre-show discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. The presidential debate itself takes place from 8 to 9 p.m. The post-debate discussion will begin immediately following.
The pre- and post-debate discussions will be led by Dr. Joseph Zompetti, a professor in the School of Communication and expert in political rhetoric, and Shanna Carlson, director of Illinois State University’s debate team. Zompetti and Carlson will provide insight into debate structures and strategies.
For the debate itself, Illinois State is partnering with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ American Democracy Project so that students can participate in a live national conversation about the debate with college students across the nation. Students will be able to watch the debate and participate in the live stream via a platform called Discord to share comments and questions. Following the debate, students will return to Zoom for a post-debate reflection and debrief with Zompetti and Carlson.
This event is being organized by the School of Communication Promotion and Development (SoC PD) Team in collaboration with the Voter Engagement Coalition. The SoC PD Team is an internship opportunity that allows student interns to plan and execute events for Illinois State University’s School of Communication.
Julia Kopfman, lead intern on the SoC PD Team, said, “Helping to plan this event has given me the opportunity to collaborate with other departments on campus as well as inform and inspire other students to vote.”
The debate watch party and pre- and post-debate discussions are free to attend and no registration is required. For more information, please visit the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning’s website. For more information about Illinois State University’s voter engagement efforts, visit the Redbird Voter Guide.
To attend:
- The Zoom link for the pre- and post-show discussions is https://illinoisstate.zoom.us/j/93313655999.
- The Discord link for the debate is https://discord.com/invite/sYEC27H.
