Proposal 2 debate attracts big crowd

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Tweet The Wilson Hall Auditorium was standing-room only Wednesday night as Young Americans for Freedom chairman Kyle Bristow and Eric Gregory, a candidate for state representative, went head-to-head to debate the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.

The proposal, also known as the MCRI, will end preferential treatment for minorities in government and university programs if it's passed in the Nov. 7 election.

Gregory argued against the MCRI and said if the initiative passes, funding for breast cancer and prostate research could be cut, which happened with California's similar 1996 Proposition 209.

"We're not really voting for or against affirmative action," he said. "We're voting for the MCRI and all the baggage that comes with it."

Bristow said affirmative action enables minorities to obtain jobs they aren't as qualified to have compared with those who earned their jobs based on their skills.

"Personally, I don't care what color my doctor's skin is," he said. "All I care about is that they earned their degree by merit."

Students around campus gathered to show their political colors — some wore Dick DeVos hats while others wore Jennifer Granholm T-shirts. Other students came without political messages on their clothing.

"I'm really against the political philosophies of Kyle Bristow," said Shawn O'Donnell, a telecommunication, information studies and media sophomore. "I believe his ignorance showed during this debate, and I hope that people on this campus will see what he is."

Some students, such as premedical sophomore Evan Kelly, brought signs to voice their opinions of the debaters.

"As a white male, Kyle Bristow makes me ashamed of myself. His ideals date back to the 1800s when it was acceptable for white males to view themselves as better people just because they were white males," said Kelly, whose sign read "racist."

Other students simply came to watch the debate, such as Ryan Maddock, a James Madison College freshman who said he was interested in learning about the initiative.

Although Maddock admitted he wasn't familiar with how the proposed legislation could affect people, he said the debate effectively showed both sides of the issue.

"I came in here on the fence about the issue," he said. "If the debate continues this way, I'll be voting no."

Students from MRULE, the Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience, came to support student involvement in the political issues on campus and at the state level, said Rachel Frank, one of the group's student leaders.

"MRULE does not take a political stance," she said. "We value diversity. That doesn't just mean race, gender, class or sexual preference — it means diversity in ideas."

The James Madison College Student Senate organized the event to present students with both sides of the issue, said Cristina Patzelt, vice chairperson of the organization.

"We support diverse opinions," she said. "The turnout was awesome. We had a couple of instances where the audience spoke out, but it wasn't too bad."

The James Madison College Student Senate also plans to have follow-up events after the election passes, Patzelt said.

Lindsay Machak can be reached at machakli@msu.edu.

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