ACBU Critical Issues committee targets high-profile topics with Crossfire, a new monthly event where students and faculty alike gather for discussions.
Crossfire held its first gathering Wednesday night in the Garrett Cultural Center to inform students and discuss politics, which is a taboo subject for some people.
“There were two of us that were in charge, but overall, most ACBU members helped and supported our ideas to get [Crossfire] together,” junior organizational communication major Mackenzie Clauss said. “We joined the Critical Issues committee because we felt that issues were overlooked and that there was less awareness, so we helped revamp it with a three program series.”
Senior Rachel Bikshorn, an organizer of Crossfire along with Clauss, said she was expecting a number of students to show as a result of the group’s advertising with posters, surveys, promotion in Hilltop Happenings and on various social media, but they were not discouraged by the low number of students that trickled through the doors.
“My sorority sister is part of ACBU, so I came,” junior nursing major Elizabeth Danecker said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I understood it was a discussion on political events.”
Peoria City Councilmen Ryan Spain and Casey Johnson were present as guest speakers, but rather than lecturing on the importance of politics, they joined students and faculty within a circle creating an environment for conversation.
Throughout the evening, issues in politics, the economic potential of downtown Peoria, the upcoming primary election, the importance of voting and the topic of marijuana were out in the open.
“I’ve been with the registrar for three to four years, but I’ve been with the League of Women Voters longer than you’ve been born,” event registrar Irene Pritzker said. “I love politics, but democracy doesn’t work unless people participate. Democracy only works when you take part of it.”
The guest speakers dominated the conversation, and a number of larger issues were not discussed, according to Bikshorn.
“With a smaller group, you can have a better conversation and you can hear each other,” Bikshorn said. “People came to be informed, so it was okay that the conversation was orientated around our guest speakers because they are knowledgeable. It’s important to talk about the small topics in politics, too. This is where we live, and it’s important to know about the little things that affect us.”
At the end of the conversation, interested students were able to register to vote through two voter registries ACBU invited, including Pritzker.
“I think it was pretty good; I didn’t expect anything to begin with, but it was interesting,” Danecker said. “I think the discussion was interesting, and it’s important for college students to be informed about community issues. One thing I would change; they were both Republican representatives. It would have been nice if they had Democratic [speakers] as well.”
The next Crossfire meetings will discuss police brutality and greek life versus non-greek life on campus, according to ACBU coordinators. Clauss said she hopes to continue Crossfire into next semester as well.
