Ahead of Contentious Presidential Election, Incipient Faculty Task Force Seeks to Foster Civic Engagement

Mr. Hitzrot, a member of the task force, hopes for a diversity of political viewpoints to be shared; says the election is “a great learning opportunity” for the Middlesex community.

Ahead of a momentous election year, a faculty task force is exploring how to best prepare the Middlesex community. The task force hopes to get ahead of the tumult a Trump electoral return will foment–a rematch of the 2020 Presidential Election will be at best contentious and at worst catastrophic. Dissatisfaction with Mr. Biden (his approval rating hovers at 39% – lower than Mr. Trump at this point in his presidency) and Mr. Trump’s vengeance-focused campaign is sure to incite strong opinions from both sides this election season. While the 2024 election cycle differs from 2020 (notably the absence of COVID-19), misinformation, potential violence, and as the Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel puts it, the “them-vs.-us” nature of politics remains.

The faculty task force wants to foster robust civic engagement, diverse political discourse, and a well-informed community.The task force has been assembled by Mrs. Speers and includes Mr. Hitzrot, Mr. Hoar, Starry Zhu, and Ms. Smedley. According to Mr. Hitzrot, the primary objective of the group is to “value everybody’s opinions and everybody’s right to express their political perspectives, and at the same time, preserve the [unity and shared values of the] community.” How Middlesex can achieve this objective is being discussed, and bringing in politically-focused speakers and mixing in civics to campus gatherings is in the works. The task force also wants to protect our community from “cancel culture.” Mr. Hitzrot emphasizes respecting different viewpoints is critical. Unlike the display of political polarization likely to dominate college campuses this fall, Middlesex’s task force wants to help our community to be a beacon of political open-mindedness.

The task force also wants to help the Middlesex community steer clear of “the types of ad hominem attacks (personal attacks rather than debates relating to the substance of what one is saying) that we see [from the] media and [from] politicians today,” says Mr. Hitzrot. Rather, the task force wants to encourage productive, open debate that does not denigrate people. Mr. Hitzrot states that the task force is in place in part so that we “don’t surrender to group think or [exist in] echo chambers–why else have a school like this?” he asks. In the spirit of academic inquiry, the task force views the likely presidential election rematch as an opportunity to evaluate and explore a diversity of viewpoints–liberal or conservative.

Mr. Hitzrot sees the election as “a great learning opportunity for us.” When ideas are questioned, a better understanding of the truth behind current issues is found. The task force’s understanding is that, according to Mr. Hitzrot, “the more that we think about this election, and the more that we talk about the election, the better we’ll be able to digest and accept the outcomes of the election.” 

Middlesex has a tremendous opportunity to encourage civic engagement and political open-mindedness, and this task force is in the process of realizing this opportunity. Mr. Hitzrot suggests that having a panel of speakers or a discussion of political viewpoints on a given issue during Announcements block would be useful, but courses of action are being considered on how to best address the upcoming elections. All in all, Mr. Hitzrot wants students to continue to ask questions and develop their own individual political sensibilities. However divisive the 2024 presidential election might be, the task force is in place so that the Middlesex community emerges stronger for it. 

George Thornton