“Where principle is involved, be deaf to expediency.”
– James Webb
District 21 constituents finally received the honor of having their two Democratic senatorial candidates engage face-to-face on the issues in a televised debate on Friday. And apparently, it was a great honor indeed: Jim Rosapepe only confirmed being able to attend the debate in the morning, while Sen. John Giannetti managed to arrive late due to “traffic.” But somehow, after a confluence of the planets and a lucky roll of Fortune’s dice, viewers did manage to see about 15 minutes of interaction between the candidates. Disappointingly, there was a complete lack of discussion on higher education.
The District 21 senator represents the flagship university in the state, and this is no small responsibility. But instead of the announcing spirited plans over how to secure higher education funding and keep the costs of education reasonable, the senate hopefuls completely avoided the topic.
It is true – students in general are one of the lowest participating demographics in voting. Taking this into consideration, Rosapepe and Giannetti may have decided that it is not politically expedient to wave the Maryland flag outside the campus. But it is the mark of a genuine civil servant to be able to support issues even when it may not further their political career.
That being said, both candidates have, in their own way, been allies of the university. Giannetti certainly spends more time on the campus, often throwing tailgates and attending student association meetings. Rosapepe suggested a tuition freeze earlier in the year and has had a track record of supporting higher education.
All this is good, but it is with debate that innovative ideas come to the forefront. It does little good to speak separately about the importance of higher education – who wouldn’t support that? Students want Giannetti and Rosapepe to exchange blows on higher education, taking and expanding on their opponent’s ideas when they are good, and trashing parts of their own plans when they cannot hold up to scrutiny.
There is only a week left until primary election day. It’s likely too late to have a thorough and exciting debate on higher education. Regardless, The Diamondback would like to remind Giannetti and Rosapepe that despite the traditionally low turnout of the student body, in a close election like this one, students can make the difference and are still looking for the candidate who will support the university because it is the right thing to do, and not only when it is politically advantageous.
Our View: Students are suffering from the lack of public debate between Sen. John Giannetti and challenger Jim Rosapepe on issues surrounding higher education.
