Student Stances

Political Climate on Campus

With the upcoming presidential election in November, there is a lot of debate among friends, family, and peers. Pitt-Greensburg is no different. Dr. Paul Adams, Associate Professor of Political Science and Division Chair, weighed in on his observation of students’ political views.

“At Pitt-Greensburg it’s an interesting mix of liberals, which tend to be found higher in the 18-24 age range, and conservatives, which fit the more socially conservative local population. In polls and in conversations with students over the years, there are slightly more students than average that identify as ‘libertarian’ or ‘independent’ than at other schools,” Dr. Adams said.

Tylar Lyons, a double major in political science and history and president of the College Democrats club, said the club has high hopes for Bernie Sanders. “We, as a club, have endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. We are open to any candidate [but] we feel Bernie best represents our generation. [Although] Hillary supporters are more than welcome [to attend meetings], as it makes for a robust debate,” Lyons said.

The recent Iowa Caucuses were close for the democratic side, and a few coin tosses were used to determine the results. Hillary Clinton took the win, and Sanders followed extremely close in second, 0.3 percent behind on the vote.

“As for the Iowa Caucuses, Senator Sanders did the unthinkable. No self-describing democratic socialist, which I also am, has won in a race like this. So it is very exciting to see, and we will have to wait and see how other states respond to Senator Sanders’ message,” Lyons said.

Elsayed Abbas, a freshman biology major, is on the more conservative side, identifying himself as Republican. “I am not really fond of any of the candidates running, but if I had to choose one I would pick Ted Cruz. I like his policies that he would put in effect. I was happy that Ted Cruz got first [in the Iowa Caucuses]. I hate Trump.”

With a new president, many Republicans want a more regulated national security and a tax rate cut, among other changes.

“[I] definitely want minimum wage to stay the same, hopefully better foreign policy, [and] a more structured economy to function,” Abbas said.