By Josef Spence – Contributor

Nov. 4 saw the Politics and International Studies Association (PISA) host a panel to discuss and analyze the U.S. election, which took place the following night on the fifth. Four professors, three from Bishop’s University and one from the University of Maine, sat on the panel, with students filling out McGreer Hall. Though most of the students attending were home to the Political and International Studies Department, there were a number of students from other programs. This was a testament to the significance of this event for Bishop’s students from all backgrounds. 

The panel was moderated by PISA president Sasha Kardos-Machado and was composed of Dr. Heather Mckeen-Edwards and Dr. Jacob Robbins-Kanter from Bishop’s Political and International Studies Department, Dr. Gordon Barker from Bishop’s History Department, and Dr. Daniel Troup from the University of Maine’s Political Science Department. 

When speaking on Trump’s promise to rectify inflation through tariffs, Dr. Mckeen-Edwards warned that these tariffs would likely result in general decline in the global economy.  Dr. Troup asserted that in the event of a Trump election the Canadian government would likely try to distance themselves so as to seem impartial and moderate. A question period followed, beginning with Trump’s potential threat to democracy and an analysis of demographic divides among voters. Notably, panelists all acknowledged that there was an interesting divide that had arisen between men and women in the voter base for Trump and Harris, respectively. Questions posed during ranged from the effect of R. F. Kennedy’s Trump endorsement to single-issue and low information voters. This prompted a lively discussion among the panelists about the impact of uninformed voters.

 Students responded positively to the event: Clelia Moulin, a first-year International Studies student, enjoyed the event because “it was very interesting for me in the framework of my studies” and added that the panelists did a great job of framing the election in a way that made it clearer. Dr. Robbins-Kanter commented on how the event was made possible through broad student interest in the American election because of its global significance and the initiative of PISA executives. He thought the event was very successful: “I can’t recall ever seeing that room as full as it was … I think it was a good sign that students took an interest and this is on their minds”. He asserted that it was particularly notable because academics usually do not have large audiences. Since many students and faculty have an emotional investment in the election, he commented that the event was not only to satisfy students’ interest in the election, but also to bring a supportive community together, and he hopes to see many other events like it in the future.