0 CommentsStaff Writer Sofian Laouzai attended an event hosted by Bridge Columbia, a new club on campus.
Regardless of how you feel about the aftermath of this election season, one thing remains constant: conversation and discourse are key in promoting progress. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to attend an event called “Spectrum: Finding Middle Ground” with the Columbia Democrats and Republicans hosted by CU BridgeUSA on October 23 in Lerner 569.
CU BridgeUSA, also known as Bridge Columbia, is a new chapter of BridgeUSA at Columbia that seeks to heal political divides through civic discourse. The aim of this event was to explore the issues surrounding this election season, bringing various ideas and perspectives together through dialogue. With each pre-prepared topic, individuals would move to a corner of the room depending on their position: Strongly Agree, Somewhat Agree, Somewhat Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. Then, after discussing with among their groups the reasoning behind their choice, the floor would open to discussion between different groups. Below are the topics discussed and an overview of what people had to say:
Topic 1: “Colleges and universities should take racial identity into consideration when admitting new students”
On the ‘agree’ side, people mentioned that the proportionality of different races is important to consider when admitting students. Diversity does not simply lie in demographics, but in different experiences and ideas; many universities, including Columbia, value interaction among people with different backgrounds. Since race does shape one’s experience, it should be considered in admissions, not simply as a way to “check a box” but to actually encourage conversation. People who disagreed invoked the idea that this practice aims to solve racism with racism, setting a dangerous precedent for the future. Furthermore, they argued that instead of tackling the root cause of education disparities, affirmative action instead treats the symptoms of the issue. Agreers mentioned that since we look at history in cases such as legacy admission, why not consider race as a factor in admission, as this is also history related.
Topic 2: “Less restrictive gun laws make us safer”
Let’s just say everyone bolted to the ‘disagree’ side of the room. Then we moved on.
Topic 3: “Our southern border should be more secure”
This topic caused a more even split among the agree and disagree side. For people in the slightly agree category, many people took issue with the idea of secure: what does being “more secure” look like, and does this actually remedy the situation? Strongly agreers acknowledged that immigration is extremely important and necessary, especially when it comes to creating and providing opportunities. However, mass illegal immigration is unsustainable, often placing a burden on various cities, both close to the border and far. It leads to a drain on the country’s resources as it cannot support the large influx of people entering the country. For people on the opposite side, however, they mentioned that making things more secure actually places a higher drain on resources than we realize. When discussing the idea that illegal immigrants increase violence and drugs in the US, they mentioned how there is actually less violence and crime from illegal immigrants then American citizens. They also explained how current immigration policies favor white immigration over minority immigration, thus even within immigration there exists disparity and limited access to opportunity.
Topic 4: “We should have universal healthcare”
Again, this was a largely split topic. The primary concerns from the disagree side were primarily the price of instituting universal healthcare, but also the impact it would have on the healthcare industry. They mentioned how this would cause longer wait times, doctor shortages, and might decrease the quality of healthcare provided. Instead, we should focus on helping people get insurance coverage and reform our current healthcare systems. Furthermore, with universal healthcare, the government gains greater oversight of our access to healthcare, which led to further discussion on if that is a good or bad thing. On the other hand, the agreeing side mentioned that currently our insurance companies already possess this oversight. They argued that the US is already spending a lot of money on our current healthcare system, more than it would cost to implement and sustain universal healthcare. From a humanistic perspective, priced healthcare seems to place value on human life.
Topic 5: “The federal government should provide reparations to descendants of slavery”
The last topic was changed to this one, providing a subject not often discussed in US politics. The largest question most people had, regardless of the position, was what do reparations look like? Are they systematic, institutional, or financial? For the agreeing side, reparations are necessary because the history of slavery has leached into other components of the black experience, including healthcare, housing discrimination, and access to opportunities. However, on the disagreeing side, the consensus was that while reparations are necessary, there are nuances to consider. Providing money simply as cash might not be the most beneficial solution; rather, investing in infrastructure, funding HBCUs, and giving grants to black businesses are examples of ways to support those impacted by the history of slavery at a foundational level. It is also important to consider that at the same time there are other Black people who arrived in the US after slavery but still experience its effects. Furthermore, the US has destabilized many different groups both inside and outside its borders, so should the federal government pay reparations in these cases as well?
This event was an incredible way to foster discussion among different groups and individuals, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum. Bridge Columbia’s next event is called “Braver Campus Dialogue” and will take place on November 21 from 5-6pm. Be sure to follow their Instagram @busa.columbia for more details and to learn more about upcoming events.
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