Health insurance for working Americans, immigration and the
value of the Electoral College — St. John’s students and faculty
wrangled over these and other issues in a series of public debates
in honor of
Constitution Day.
Held on September 17 at the Queens and Staten Island campuses,
Constitution Day was part of the PARTICIPATE program, an annual,
University-wide initiative to promote and increase civic awareness,
engagement and participation in the political process.
Under the direction of Brian Browne, Assistant Vice President for
Government Relations, students from the
College Democrats and
College Republicans clubs squared off on the Queens campus over
the constitutionality of immigration reforms, marriage equality and
the Affordable
Care Act. The debates took place in the D’Angelo Center
and Bent Hall.
On the Staten Island campus, students discussed the history of the
Electoral College, the selection of electors and the allocation of
votes.
William Byrne, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Government and
Politics, and
Ellen Boegel, J.D., Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and
Legal Studies, debated the system’s relevance today.
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