UNC College Republicans to host debate between John Stossel and Howard Dean

With the presidential election quickly approaching, UNC College Republicans have called in the bigwigs to lay the issues on the table.

The College Republicans will sponsor a debate between Fox Business Network host John Stossel and former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate Howard Dean later this month.

The debate between will take place Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Student Union.

The event will cost more than $40,000. The organization received $12,500 from Student Congress to cover speaker costs this year, and all of that money will be put toward this event, said Garrett Jacobs, College Republicans chairman.

Jacobs said the debate’s theme will be the role of government in a free society.

“Anything is fair game,” Jacobs said, adding that potential topics range from drugs to immigration.

“This is a chance for students to hear both sides of very pressing issues that matter to them,” he said.

The remaining cost of the event will be covered by the Young America’s Foundation as part of its national Arthur N. Rupe Foundation Great Debate Series, Jacobs said.

The series consists of four political debates on college campuses throughout the country.

Maggie Howell, state and national affairs committee chairwoman for the College Republicans, said the foundation asked the group if they would like to take part in the series.

“(The foundation) told us that if we were on board and helped with funding, they would help us out and get us some big political names,” Howell said.

Last semester the group brought former presidential candidate and businessman Herman Cain.

Patrick Coyle, vice president of the Young America’s Foundation, said it has a long history of working with conservative speakers at UNC.

“What we are trying to do is give students an opportunity to hear these issues firsthand and not filtered through the media or professors on campus,” Coyle said.

Frank Hill, director of the Institute for the Public Trust, a nonprofit organization in Charlotte, will moderate and ask questions related to the debate theme, Jacobs said.

Audience members will also have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions.

Ben Smith, secretary of the group, said students are very energized about the upcoming event.

“We hope students will be able to come to the debate to see both sides and start a general discussion about the election — and see who they are more likely to support,” he said.

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