Citizen Club is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and it is re-doubling its efforts to educate the student body on current events. Founded in the days following September 11, the club is trying to continue a legacy of political education.
“The club meetings generally start with a presentation on a controversial issue. We try to aim for brief, objective, and intelligent presentations so that people can come out of the meeting better educated on the issue. Then, the floor is opened up for discussion where people can discuss their opinions and how the issue affects them,” said Lucas Mayer, Co-President.
In many cases, members of the club joined with little or no political experience. However, after attending weekly meetings, members say that they know far more about the world around them.
“The meetings let me know about and form opinions on topics that I wouldn’t have had an opinion on otherwise. For example, last week we had a presentation on the European debt crisis — if I hadn’t attended the meeting, I really wouldn’t know much about it,” said Luke Chen, Project Manager.
Topics range from the value of college to the Republican presidential candidates. But the purpose of Citizen Club goes beyond individual topics, Mayer said.
“I think that many people don’t care about global issues. However, Citizen Club gives an outlet for people to be exposed to a wide variety of important topics. Students gain an exposure to a wider world.”