There wasn't any name-calling or personal attacks, but rather spirited, educational discussion at the Elon Political Debate hosted by the Elon Politics Forum on Wednesday night.
College Democrats, College Republicans and Young Americans for Liberty sparred over issues such as safe spaces on college campuses, the Second Amendment and even the nomination process for the open Supreme Court seat.
Two representatives from each organization debated topics like climate change and United States' involvement in international affairs while also answering audience questions in a packed McBride Gathering Space at Numen Lumen Pavilion.
The question of safe spaces on college campuses, which has drawn national attention especially after protests at the University of Missouri in the fall, started off the debate.
Both Young Americans for Liberty and College Republicans questioned safe spaces' infringement upon free speech, while College Democrats advocated for their benefits.
"The most interesting thing about safe spaces is how unsafe they make people feel who aren't a part of them," said senior Trevor Schramn of College Republicans.
Junior Matt Snow of Young Americans for Liberty said the current generation of college students is changing, specifically their psychology and their physical brain structure, "due to the inability to cope with the real world." He worried about changing language and words' meaning to make people feel more welcome.
"The problem with safe spaces is they work to take away free speech and prevent us from dealing with life how it is," Snow said. "They protect us from the world. That's not going to help students as they leave."
Senior David Wortham of College Democrats said feeling safe on a college campus is a right, not a privilege, and that safe spaces help people learn to feel accepted and safe on a daily basis.
He later revisited the issue after an audience question, and noted that safe spaces aren't newfound ideas, and exist in different forms on college campuses.
The debate started with issue-based questions that each group had the opportunity to answer, then followed with specific questions for each. The audience questions had to be cut short because of time constraints.
Senior Matt Corman, president of College Republicans, defended gun owners' constitutional rights, while saying colleges shouldn't restrict students or faculty from carrying concealed weapons if they have proper permits. Junior Sam Hird of College Democrats called that position "alarming."
"Gun control doesn't mean stripping citizens of their guns," Hird said. "But when 13,000 people are killed by gun violence, then it's time to start taking this issue seriously."
Later, Hird cited a statistic about the United States' gun crime rate, which was quickly shut down by Snow, calling it "demonstrably false."
"No proposal Democrats have is actually going to reduce gun crime," Snow said.
The groups were asked about the current political atmosphere in the United States and if the country is heading in the right direction, to which Corman quickly said no. The discussion then turned briefly to the current presidential election.
"Watching the Republican primary and seeing the candidates left, specifically Donald Trump and (Sen.) Ted Cruz (R-Texas), it makes me feel pretty good to be a Democrat," Hird said.
"The two Democratic candidates, we have a criminal and a socialist," Schramn replied, referring to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Both statements elicited applause from the audiences, and the Young Americans for Liberty representatives even clapped after Schramn's assertion.
The event was moderated by Elon Politics Forum President and junior Josh Weintraub, News Director of Elon Local News and junior Ashley Bohle and senior Bobby King.