OP-ED Election day was just the start

Author: George Altshuler and Will Bellaimey

Middlebury's democratic culture was out in force earlier this month on election day, often with a capital "D." After months of working quietly with a few dedicated volunteers, College Democrats were overwhelmed with the passion and dedication of the several hundred students who showed up at Coltrane and made over 6000 calls to get out the vote for Barack Obama. It was not the crowd you'd expect: athletes and actors, art and physics majors, international and just-outside-Boston, these students made calls side by side because they shared the same vision of America's future. As the results came in, we joined the mass of students celebrating like we'd just won the Super Bowl.

It was a night to remember.

But we need to go beyond Obama-mania. Despite our overwhelmingly blue voting habits, or perhaps because of them, we don't spend much time discussing and questioning our own political values on this campus. All too often, students drift along without ever asking each other to think critically about their fundamental beliefs - moral, cultural and yes, political. We need to spend more time challenging ourselves and each other outside the classroom.

In this defining moment all Americans need to reflect on their long-held beliefs and engage in a more open and candid exchange of ideas. Starting here at Middlebury. We can all take better advantage of the many different perspectives on this campus.

Back when this campaign was in its infancy, a group of Middlebury students started meeting on Saturday afternoons to discuss the moral questions that shape our political views. Among the founding members were the presidents of both College Democrats and College Republicans. But the purpose of the group is not to square off and defend our parties' positions. Instead we are committed to working through difficult questions together and openly.

Activism has an important role to play in the political life of a college, and we are proud of Middlebury's history of environmental and social activism. The Sunday Night Group's pragmatic action towards making our campus carbon neutral was a poster-child for college activism at it's best.

However, too often activism here is focused on "raising awareness," a liberal euphemism for preaching to the unenlightened masses of the dining halls. Truly constructive discussion must be two-way. It is only by engaging those that we disagree with that we can understand our own values and work towards solutions.

If we are to heal the bitter political divide that has torn this nation apart, these conversations need to become a part of our campus culture. We need organizations that bring students together to have those critical conversations that rarely happen at the homogenous dining hall tables: athletes and actors, art and physics majors, international and from just-outside-Boston, SNG, AAA and MOQA.

For our part, we will work to revitalize College Democrats as a center for such valuable discussion. We need both thoughtful and critical discourse on this campus and across the country. We challenge you to live up to the ideals we celebrated on election day by stepping out of your comfort zones and questioning yourself and others. Don't sit back. This is our time.