Day of Politics nears Congressional candidates to speak on campus

REBECCA O'NEIL

Reporter

@RebeccaRoundup

Polarized ideologies may feel the heat during the Day of Politics when legislators and students take the stage for speeches, questions and moderated debates.

On Thursday, March 15, student debates will start at 9 a.m., California Assembly candidates will speak from 10 - 10:30 a.m. and U.S. Senate candidates will come from noon - 1 p.m.

Voter registration will take place throughout the event, which is sponsored by Pierce College’s Democrat Club, Republican Club,

Vegan Club, Alpha Gamma Sigma Honors Society (AGS) and ASO.

Political science professor Denise Robb said the Day of Politics offers students a venue to learn more about their current political situation and engage.

Robb began the biannual event when she first started working Pierce in 2011.

“I wanted the students to not only vote —we register them to vote there too— but actually get involved in politics, to know who exactly is running for office what kind of propositions are on the ballot,” Robb said.

Robb said this semester’s Day of Politics is particularly poignant given the three elections coming up in California elections this year. The first election of the year, which is on April 3, will replace California Assemblyman Matt Dababneh (D - Woodland Hills), who attended a number of Pierce’s Day of Politics events and resigned earlier this year after facing accusations of sexual misconduct.

Former Pierce student Ankur Patel is running for Assemblyman in District 45 will also be attending the event.

“Now we have an open seat,” Robb said. “So that’s April, and June is the regular primary and November is the general election when we choose between the top two candidates.”

Robb said Day of Politics is