Flynn Altomare

G T Lenard

Life of the Mind

30 September 2016

Stockton Events 1

I attended the first Presidential Debate Watching Party on Monday, September 26 in the Board of Trustees Room. The event consisted of debate bingo, refreshments, and, of course, a stream of the first Presidential Debate between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The debate was projected on a large screen and many Stockton students watched eagerly as the candidates verbally combatted each other on a variety of different topics and issues relevant to our nation. The event started at 8 and lasted a little under three hours. Topics discussed by the candidates included national security, race in America, and the direction the nation was headed in, among many other things. The debate moderator was NBC anchor Lester Holt. Holt was criticized by many in attendance of the event for not being able to control the debate. There seemed to be a pretty clear bias in the room, with most students appearing to favor Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. Due to this, it was apparent that both during and after the event, many in the Board of Trustees Room thought that it was Hillary’s night. The general consensus appeared to be that Clinton had scored a clear, decisive victory against her opponent.

I enjoyed the event tremendously. As someone who was planning to watch the debate already, it was nice to be able to watch it on a large screen with other interested members of the Stockton community. Everyone was very respectful, which was important because if attendees became too loud no one would be able to hear what the candidates were saying. I believe watching the debates is very important for those who plan to vote, so it was great being able to go to an event screening it. It was well run, a lot of fun, and I definitely plan on going to future debate watching parties at Stockton University.