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Wide-eyed debate watchers filed into rooms across the 5Cs, excitement and anxiety buzzing in the air. Sitting upright with bingo cards and pens in hand, students at Pomona began placing bets on whether or not Donald Trump and Kamala Harris would shake hands.
On the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 10, Pitzer College, Pomona College and Claremont McKenna College organised various gatherings for students to come together to watch the second 2024 presidential debate, the first between Harris and Trump.
Each setup was unique in its format, audience and formality, with CMC’s watch party being the most exclusive of the three. Held in the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, only CMC students could attend, and even then, space was limited and spots filled up quickly.
Students and faculty were split into two separate rooms due to concerns about any possible influence one group might have on the other.
“I think it was a more productive conversation without worrying about what the professor thinks about you,” watch party attendee Ella Reyl CM ’25 said. “The students are pretty capable, [so] I thought it was good that we had something to ourselves.”
Pomona’s watch party, held at the Rose Hills Theatre and open to all 5C students, also required an RSVP; however, when the designated seating filled up, eager participants found make-shift seats in the aisles and front row of the theater. However, once the venue exceeded its maximum capacity of around 200 students, the fire department had to intervene, asking anyone without a formal seat to leave.
The League of Women Voters, who co-organized the Pomona debate-watching party with the help of the Pomona Politics Department, also distributed bingo cards with possible debate topics on them.
Millie Nathanson SC ’28 attended the viewing party and described the room as being filled with excitement and enthusiasm.
“People were gasping and clapping and making comments,” she said. “It felt like watching a sporting event.”
Pitzer’s watch party — organized by the Justice Education Center — was open to all 5C students where, throughout the event, debate watchers engaged in political discourse. There were refreshments available, and students said that the venue provided an environment inviting for anyone to voice their opinions, questions and emotions. Many watchers ended up staying after the debate ended to watch MSNBC commentators and participate in a post-debate breakdown.
Romarilyn Ralston, the senior director of the Justice Education Center, noted the importance of community settings such as this one for those watching the debate.
“I think that it’s a disservice to go off and watch the debate on your own and not have that extra insight and discourse such as talking with your peers, talking with people you don’t know and talking with people that may not share the same political beliefs as you,” she said.
Nathanson described the added insights gained from the discussion with a panel of professors following the debate.
“Professor Menefee-Libey made a very interesting comment about how the language that former President Trump used to describe Haitian immigrants in Ohio was very similar to the rhetoric that was used in Nazi Germany,” Nathanson said, reflecting on the Pomona watch party.
Beyond the 5C watch party format, Reyl expressed how the presidential debate itself brings the candidates to life, more so than an article summary would.
“I think it definitely humanizes the candidates,” Reyl said. “You can see both their strengths and faults more visibly than you would otherwise.”
Open dialogue amongst peers revealed different ways people interpreted the debate. At one discussion table at CMC’s event, for instance, Reyl noticed that her peers had contrasting perspectives on Harris’ performance — something that helped her better form her own point of view.
“One guy at the table thought that Kamala’s performance wasn’t that strong,” she said. “Whereas, the girls at the table thought she did a great job.”
To some students, the watch parties highlighted the strength of the 5C community around a shared interest in politics and civic responsibility.
“It really made me feel like I chose the right college because of how many people wanted to show up,” Nathanson said.
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