On Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 12:30pm the Post-Election Academic Panel was attended by Wright students and faculty alike. The panel was meant to allow a discussion on the post-election landscape. Many topics were discussed including Obama’s legacy, the electoral college, and new executive orders President Trump has signed. On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States. On January, 20 2017 President Trump took the Oath of Office.
After the post election academic panel The Wright Times had an opportunity to speak with panelists Professor Mayer, Professor Leslie, and Cara Verigan.
During the post election panel, part of the focus went to the environmental issues. Professor Kurt Leslie took the lead. He took time to set up a small power point and explain what the current and future state of our environment is and will be under our current president. During the Post Election Panel, Professor Leslie’s focus was mostly on the environment.
“Under the new U.S. administration it appears it's going to be worse [for the environment]. I did talk about Trump’s appointments to different offices such as E.P.A. The people Trump has now picked are pro business. We have seen that in the past under different presidents, but now I think Trump is going to up the game. Business as usual but it's going to be worse,” said Leslie.
Professor Leslie was pleasantly surprised on the turnout of students attending the panel. He was also impressed with how appropriately and respectfully many of those in the audience approached their questions to the panelists. Professor Merry Mayer, assistant professor of political science, shared a similar experience. “I thought it was an enriching experience and I was happy to see the enthusiasm and engagement from the Wright student body. The amount of people in the crowd made me happy and nervous at the same time,” said Mayer.
Cara Verigan, coordinator of the paralegal program, agreed to join as a panelist with an interest in promoting civil discourse. "I think there is a lot of inaccurate information circulating and was hoping the panel discussion could help foster a productive dialogue at Wright," said Verigan.
To prepare prior to the discussion, Verigan read executive orders and other content from the White House webpage, alongside articles from reputable news sources, such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and others.
Although the post-election panel provided a space for raising many important issues, Verigan believes there were too many issues to successfully cover within the given length of time.
"If I were to participate in future panels, I would suggest they be more narrowly focused." To Verigan, the attendance and participation from students was "impressive." Verigan also hopes that those who attended exposed themselves to a variety of information and viewpoints, as well as continue to maintain interest and engagement as incredibly as it was displayed during the discussion.
The Post-Election Academic Panel successfully served as a platform for people to express their opinions regarding the 2016 election.