About 10 people gathered to hear a discussion on civil engagement titled “Across the Aisle” at the Keathley University Center Theater on Wednesday. The American Democracy Project at MTSU hosted the event, which featured input from the left and right sides of the political spectrum.
Marcus Rosario, president of MTSU’s American Democracy Project, guided panelists through several areas of conversation, including free speech & campus expression, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion programs at universities, the cost of college, healthcare access, immigration and voting access.
“This event is about creating space for conversation, where we can hear diverse voices across the political spectrum and explore what civic engagement looks like here on campus,” Rosario said. “We encourage you to listen with an open mind, speak with respect, and remember that civic engagement is about more than just politics.”
Rosario still characterized the event as a success, despite the low attendance. Panelists Jorge Avila, president of the MTSU Democrats, and Fatima Macareno, a moderate Republican and president of No Labels, a club that “strives to unite MTSU students from all political backgrounds,” agreed.
In fact, the pair ended up agreeing on quite a bit throughout the 30-minute talk.
Free speech & campus expression
Rosario started the panel by asking what free speech means to them in the context of a university setting.
Macareno and Avila said they were near free-speech absolutists, meaning they think most speech should be protected, including hate speech. Avila did acknowledge that hate speech is a challenge and that he has a personal line in the sand when it comes to that kind of speech.
“There comes a moment, like when a KKK [rally] comes — I’m against that,” Avila said. “But I am a firm believer in the freedom of speech, and honestly, from a student perspective, I think MTSU has done a great job allowing students to engage with others and engage in political [discussions].”
Both also agreed that MTSU acted within its authority when it fired an assistant dean of students and the Office of Student Care and Conduct for comments she made on social media about slain conservative activist Chalie Kirk.
“Thinking before you speak is usually wise in a professional setting,” Macareno said.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs
The pair began to diverge ideologically on the topic of DEI. Avila was in favor, while Macareno criticized the programs, citing a 2014 Supreme Court case involving Harvard University and affirmative action. Affirmative action was a practice Harvard and other universities employed to prevent discrimination by taking prospective students’ race into account during the admissions process.
“[Affirmative action] furthers the racist narrative that non white people or any minority group can’t achieve anything in this country,” Macareno said.
Macareno believed in strictly merit-based enrollment at universities, but Avila emphasized the importance of inclusivity in expanding opportunities for historically marginalized groups.
He cited the June Anderson Center at MTSU, which was shut down this summer due to federal and state-mandated rollbacks of DEI initiatives, as an example of the positive impact DEI can have.
“They did a lot of great things, specifically as a place for if a student has issues,” Avila said.
He mentioned sexual assault survivors and other historically underserved groups as examples of people the center helped.
Cost of college
Both panelists agreed that college is too expensive. Each said that the high cost can burden students and ultimately lead to lower civic participation, as students spend all their free time working instead of getting involved in their community.
Both supported student loan forgiveness, with Macareno citing the high cost of school and Avila citing a significant decrease in state funding for tuition.
However, Tennessee is spending more money than ever on secondary education; however, scholarships like the Tennessee HOPE scholarship do not cover as much as they did when they were first introduced, due to inflation and limits on award amounts.
Reproductive care and abortion access
Avila and Macareno also disagreed on the topic of abortion, but only partly.
Both agreed that attacking the issue at its base is the most effective way to reduce the need for abortions.
Macareno said policymakers could be more sensitive when it comes to the subject of abortion.
“Policymakers should think logically about abortion and the woman’s intentions with it,” Macareno said. “Admit it or not, abortion is ending a life in the womb, and we all need to be sensitive about it.”
She suggested making birth control and sex education more accessible and that a woman should be the one to decide if she wants to carry to term a pregnancy that was induced either incestuously or by rape.
Avila supported women’s right to choose and criticized the Dobbs decision, which overruled 50 years of precedent on women’s access to abortion. He cited lower maternal mortality rates in states with legal abortion compared to states with abortion restrictions.
Immigration
After discussing reproductive rights, Rosario steered the conversation toward immigration by asking the panelists what values should guide U.S. immigration policy.
Macareno started the discussion by criticizing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation tactics. She believed they do more harm than good and can disrupt international students’ schooling.
She disagreed with how college students like Mahmoud Khalil were targeted by federal immigration authorities for practicing their First Amendment right to free speech, but believed the U.S. needs a strong border and that people should immigrate here legally.
Avila also disagreed with how the Trump administration has handled immigration, particularly the weaponization of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
“What we’re seeing today is extremely alarming on a humanitarian level, and on just any level you think of — constitutional, humanitarian, any morals.”
Avila said he was still in favor of background checks and making sure people enter the country legally.
“But at the end of the day, we are talking about humans,” Avila said.
The panel concluded with Rosario thanking the panelists and attendees.
Student Government Association President, RJ Ware, attended the panel and said he loved it.
“We need more open and respectful conversations on hot political topics of the day on this campus,” Ware said.
Rosario hopes to bring “Across the Aisle” back to campus next fall.
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