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Show FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 3 Apprehension rises ahead of debate By SPENCER HART News Reporter In 46 days, the eyes of the world will turn to the United States with more apprehension and fear then perhaps any election in history. On Sept. 26, in Hempstead, NY, Trump and Clinton will debate for the first of three times before the election. ABC announced a partnership with Facebook to live stream the event. Website The Hill predicts the first debate will “shatter records” as far as viewership. On Aug. 1, the New York Times announced only 14 percent of eligible voters cast ballots for Trump and Clinton in the caucuses. On the same day, the Commission on Presidential Debates decided not to allow Jill Stein or Gary Johnson into the debates. The CPD has been under mounting pressure as people question the sincerity of their non-partisanship, the growing concerns about the unreliability of national polls and the CPD’s reliance on those polls. On Aug. 5, a federal judge decided to throw out the case Johnson and Stein had against the CPD. It’s not hard to find people who are unimpressed with the candidates. This is evident on Weber State University’s campus. A message board in the ERIK BREMER | The Signpost One of these two will be the next president. Let that set in. Shepherd Union asked students to respond to, “Why does your vote matter?” Many of the responses were not positive. Students are being encouraged to register to vote. The Walker Institute held a concert last week, Rock the Vote, which had the goal of helping stu- dents and the Ogden community get registered. This election’s political controversy has become white noise because of its frequency in the media. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce is trending higher in this environment. Political organizations are starting up on campuses across the country, which show disdain for our current political atmosphere. One such organization is Turning Point USA. Gunner Thordeson, Utah director for TPUSA, will be opening an official chapter here at Weber State University this week. The purpose of the organization is to “mobilize students on every college campus in America to advocate for free markets, limited government and personal liberties,” he said. This national movement will hold their first event, a watching party held on campus, Sep. 26, the night of the first debate. It will be based around mocking the two candidates. Anyone is allowed to comment, and TPUSA is committed to being non-partisan and heckling both candidates. Already more then 300 students have signed up to attend the event, and many have expressed interest in leadership positions in TPUSA. One of the biggest issues that the TPUSA is trying to make people aware of is the growing amount of student debt because of government loans. Thordeson predicts that if trends don’t change, we could see a market crash “worse then 2008.” The fear is that the government has not been fair to college students in the way it has given loans. TPUSA is concerned that the government has not vetted recipients of loans well enough, and many of these students don’t have the jobs necessary after graduation in order to repay those loans. Comment on this column at signpost.mywebermedi.com Future grads wooed to seek even higher ed By BEN BRANDLEY News Reporter The annual Career Services Graduate School Fair showed Weber State University students the gates that lead to paths beyond bachelor’s degrees on Tuesday. Ninety-six recruiters greeted the Weber State community in the Union Ballroom, sharing information about their schools and programs. Education, Recruiting, Finance and Events Specialist for Career Services Ashley Petitta led her team in organizing the event. “We organized this event for the students. It provides the opportunity for students to better themselves for their future career,” said Petitta. According to Career Services, 201 students attended the event. “I would urge professors to promote the event and invite all students to attend,” said Petitta. Fernando Lenos, WSU junior, had his hands full of information from the event. “I came here to check out other colleges. I plan on studying aerospace engineering and I’m just weighing my options,” said Lenos. Recruiters handed out information from a wide range of programs, from aerospace engineering, to mental health counseling, to education. Program options weren’t the only wide-ranging aspect of the fair. Recruiters represented local, state, national and international schools. “I enjoyed going around seeing all the different options,” said Lenos. “I’m not interested in all of them right now, but who knows? I might be in the future.” Petitta also pointed out that the grad fair help students plan for the future. But graduate school is not a part of every student’s plan. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 20.5 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities this fall. Only about 3 million of those students are graduate students. “I feel like a lot of students overlook the grad fair because they feel like they’re not ready for furthering their education,” said Petitta. “This is an opportunity that can help them prepare.” Andrea Done, a recent WSU alumna, said the grad fair was a great tool. She has been looking for graduate and medical school information since she graduated. Done has experienced negative encounters with trying to gather information from recruiters online. “I think meeting representatives face to face is better than online. It’s easier, and you get your answers quickly,” Done said. “You don’t have to worry about them not emailing you back.” That one-on-one attention is another benefit of the grad fair, according to Petitta. “The recruiters are here to provide information, so the students are able to prepare and meet whatever qualifications are necessary,” said Petitta. “This fair has been useful and very helpful,” said Done. Career Services invited students that attended to participate in a survey about the grad fair. These participants were entered into a raffle. The surveys were given to the students so that they could learn how to improve the grad fair for upcoming years, according to Petitta. “The most important thing for our office is the success of the students,” said Petitta. “That’s why we have the grad fair.” Comment on this column at signpost.mywebermedi.com The Signpost Archives Mike Hinschberger from the University of North Dakota speaks to WSU students |