By Ronnie O’leary
Columnist

The moment I stepped outside my dorm on debate day, I was hit with a wave of excitement from Hofstra students. The air was filled with the sounds of helicopters, media personalities, and cheering students. The Student Center was packed with people eager to get in on the action. Students were promoting one candidate or another, and the media was eager to get their take on each side of the argument. Citizens at Hofstra jumped at the chance to express themselves during this essential period of the election cycle. A presidential debate was the perfect opportunity to make our voices heard. We all express our views to some degree in everyday life, but this was the time when we could make an impact. The entire world was focused on Hofstra, and major media stations like CBS and Fox recorded all the action that had taken place. Expressions of opinion on issues like social security and student loans will be available for everyone to see, captured forever on the Internet. Students let the government know their views on which issues are important and how they should be dealt with

This event was also important because the debate was critical for both candidates. President Obama’s performance during the first debate was weak, and Governor Romney gained support as a result. The general prediction of Obama’s improvement in a town hall format was proven correct. The president’s ability to connect with his audience helped him regain his momentum. I am told that a single university rarely hosts two debates in a row, so I made sure to participate in every way possible. For example, I had the pleasure of speaking at Issue Ally with my political club, and we
definitely had some influence on media there.

My one worry was that I would have trouble navigating the campus; I was sure that the campus would be crowded with demonstrators and reporters. Sure enough, navigation was difficult, but it was not as bad as I thought, and the excitement was worth the minor inconvenience. We have made our voices heard, and we can now say that we hosted a second presidential debate at our college. I am hopeful that this event will allow Hofstra to obtain wider recognition.