By Hannah Himes
For The Diamondback
The University of Maryland’s government and politics department hosted its inaugural Feller Lecture on Thursday, featuring Chuck Todd of NBC’s “Meet the Press” and Mike Viqueira, an NBC correspondent and alumnus of this university.
Todd, Viqueira and moderator Irwin Morris covered several topics including the pace of news, political polarization and the 2016 election results.
“People are exposed to everything,” Viqueira said. “There is no excuse for not being informed.”
Morris, a professor and chair in the government and politics department at this university, also introduced the topic of polarization in regards to the current political environment.
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“Because we’ve become so polarized, the middle ground is no man’s land,” Viqueira said.
Todd also touched on voter turnout in elections. When voters are angry, he said, it prompts them to participate in the electoral process, as “anger turns out” and “anger shows up.”
Daniel Celotto, who lives in Chevy Chase, said the part of the lecture that interested him most was Todd’s comments on the results of the 2016 presidential election.
“As someone who follows politics, I thought it was interesting when Chuck Todd mentioned what if Supreme Court Justice [Antonin] Scalia hadn’t died,” Celotto said. “What would the result of the 2016 election have been if Republicans hadn’t held their nose and voted for Trump solely based on the nomination for Supreme Court?”
Todd’s advice for young journalists is the same as that of Lester Bang in Almost Famous: Don’t become friends with the rockstars.
“They’re not your friends and they will throw you under the bus,” Todd said.
Barbara Cashion, a former University System of Maryland professor and university alumna, said she had a clear reason for attending the event.
[Read more: The 2016 presidential election is sending UMD students to the Counseling Center]
“Chuck Todd,” she said. “He’s on my Sunday morning program list.”
Michelle Appel, an employee of this university’s Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment, agreed. She emphasized her appreciation for the morning show host.
“I am a total politics junkie, and I love Chuck Todd,” she said. “Everyone in my family can recognize his voice.”
Some university students attended fulfilling a class requirement.
“I thought it looked interesting and a lot of people were saying it was going to be a good event,” said Joanna Jones, a junior communication major.
The Feller Lecture series was made possible thanks to a $500,000 donation from Joel and Kim Feller, both university alumni, according to the event’s online description.
The government and politics department hopes to make the lecture its signature annual event, said Laura Ours, a behavioral and social sciences college spokesperson.
“It’s just meant to be a showcase of all of the interesting topics that are explored in government and politics,” she said, “and that, of course, includes media and political commentary.”
