Feature photo by Rusty Miller
Story by Aiden O’Neill
Hundreds of students and Murfreesboro community members asked former Vice President Mike Pence hard-hitting questions this afternoon at the MTSU Constitution Day event.
Constitution Day is held annually at MTSU, but this one in particular took place around a month before the presidential election. One of the candidates for said election is Donald Trump, whom Pence publicly went against in the name of the Constitution on Jan. 6. The questions asked during the event had a unique sense of relevance to the current political climate.
Students asked questions on topics ranging from LGBTQ+ rights, the Israel-Gaza war, the Russia-Ukraine war, involvement in the Middle East post-9/11, fiscal policy and more. The university’s leadership, like Student Government Association President Michai Mosby, gleamed with pride at the eloquently phrased questions students had formulated.
“I’m super proud of our students for asking questions that they genuinely believe in and that are true to their heart,” Michai Mosby said. “I’m super honored that the former vice president answered every question, and I’m super confident that our students left today with the answers that they deserved and that they needed for the betterment of their lifestyles.”
One student’s question about Kamala Harris prompted MTSU’s American Democracy Project advisor and event host, Mary Evins, to momentarily pivot. She asked Pence if he planned on voting in the upcoming election, to which he responded, “I decided to stay out of the presidential race this year because I was a candidate.”
Pence had different advice for young voters concerning the upcoming voting cycle.
“Be involved. Don’t wait to be asked,” Pence said. “I always tell that to young people about politics. If you wait around for people to invite you to be a part of it, you might be waiting a while. Find out the candidates at every level [and] if they represent you and your values the best. Get involved.”
Sidelines reporters tweeted live from the event, which provided detailed information on the questions and reactions in real time. The intention of the event was not lost in the sea of politically oriented questions, but instead supported the purpose of Constitution Day further.
“We have a role in forming a more perfect union, and what pathway do we envision and how do we want to get there,” Evins said. “So, I think forcing us to kind of take that moment to be civic thinking is what’s the benefit Constitution Day.”
Aiden O’Neill is the magazine editor for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact the News Editor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
