At a time when political discussions often end up in shouting matches, one campus organization has found a way to have respectful political dialog.

Members of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, know how to argue their points without getting personal.

“Ever since our political climate took a turn, it created a lot of anxiety for students, who already have enough to deal with,” said Sophia Becker-Toro, the club’s president. “The club provides a safe space for them. It’s a great way to talk about your views and even learn about different political topics we may have not known about. It makes you feel better and educates you.”

The group’s members represent the entire political spectrum, so the club works hard to hear everyone out. 

“Political diversity is extremely important. No one view should reign supreme, especially in a political science club,” said Joey Ignatuk, the club’s treasurer. “I think we have a very healthy political climate on our campus. 

“We have a lot of pro-Palestinian protests going on, which are typically progressive. We also have a lot of Christian clubs and events, which tend to lean conservative,” he said. “And we have a lot of normal liberals and Republicans.”.” 

The organization has found that open discussions can only take place if all the individuals respect one another.

“We do hot button debates,” Becker-Toro said. “Those conversations can get pretty heated. To effectively prove a point, we have to focus on the facts and not let emotions get in the way. We shouldn’t insult the person but just argue the facts. 

“We have to have respect for one another and know when to draw those boundaries when things get heated,” she said. “Our faculty advisor also helps facilitate out debates, so — if things get out of hand — they … remind us to be respectful to one another.”

Becker-Toro said that discussions and debates are more effective when arguments do not get tangled up in emotions.

“When debating, you want to be calm, cool and collective versus screaming in someone’s face,” she said. “It’s always good to have that kind of self-awareness when it comes to politics, especially in this current political climate.” 

But she recognizes that people often get passionate about some topics. 

“When abortion or immigration comes up it gets emotional,” Becker-Toro said. “It’s because people can relate to these topics.

 “Of course there’s room for emotion in politics,” she said. “I think a lot of times when bills get passed, it’s because certain emotions are high.”

While emotions can get in the way of meaningful debate, so can a lack of education. 

“When you have to deal with people who aren’t as educated in politics, you have to just lay down the facts and explain them if they’re willing to listen,” Becker-Toro said. “You can lead a horse to water but can’t force it to drink.

 “I think that we as Americans need to be smarter and more politically educated to get us out of this kind of state of political ideocracy,” she said. “I would really like to see the extremism on both sides go away. We need to focus on policies and how it affects the people of the United States.”

Ignatuk is nervous about what will happen to the nation if political discourse does not get more civil.

“On our campus specially, I don’t have any fears that there will be any violent protests or riots,” he said. “If Trump wins, there might be some peaceful protests. But, outside of that, I don’t think there will be anything big on our campus. 

“However, if Trump doesn’t win, I’m more worried about the nation,” said Ignatuk. “We saw what happened in 2020. …It can happen again.”