NOVEMBER 3, 2017

JOURNALISM REPORT #3
JCM 180

IRVIN MADDOX
NEVIN
 On Tuesday, the University of Alabama College Democrats hosted an open discussion on

the topics of immigration and the DACA Act.

The University of Alabama College try to find new and innovative ways to reach

members, even if it means speaking of the most controversial of topics. On October 10, the

College Democrats met in room 2006 in North Lawn. This weeks topic revolved around the

Trump Administrations stance against DACA and its view on illegal immigrants.

The members were encouraged to use personal experiences, or any other kind of shared

experience as an advantage in their talking points, leading to some very engaging conversation.

The specific beliefs of the student members are almost just as diverse as the students themselves.

The meeting was led by Michael Smith, who currently holds the position of Development

Director of the Alabama College Democrats. Smith was personally very excited to hold a

meeting regarding this topic as immigration has been a controversial topic for quite some time

now. He openly encouraged discussion throughout the night. Questions were asked to the

members like, Would you be able to compromise to get the DREAM Act passed?, or What

steps do you believe undocumented workers should take on a path to citizenship?

Smith had this to say about the meeting, I thought it was a very well thought-out and

detailed discussion about our broken immigration system in the United States and how we can

fix it. Not only to help our undocumented brothers and sisters, but to try to patch over our divide

in our country. I think that the issues we discussed today, in regard to immigration, specifically

DACA and refugee status and TPS is an important topic for not only democrats, but for we as a

national republic.
 The meetings, which are every Tuesday, are presented in an open dialogue format

meaning that the discussion is not between just the student and the organizer, but student-to-

student as well. All students are welcome, whether they be active students, graduate students or

otherwise. In the future, Smith says that he would like to see the club grow, but for now, he

enjoys how personal the meetings are. The topic at hand: the DREAM Act seemed to be a great

way to lead into more controversial topics regarding social issues as the year goes on.