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Debate Watch Party Draws Crowds, Media to Hawk’s Nest

Students watch the 2024 presidential debate in the Hawk's Nest

Dozens of students flocked to the Hawk’s Nest Tuesday night to watch the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Students and faculty also shared their perspectives with two local TV stations, WFSB and WTNH, whose reporters covered the watch party, and with NBC Connecticut, whose political correspondent did a live report from campus earlier in the day.

The watch party was hosted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging, the Department of Politics, Economics and International Studies, the Governor M. Jodi Rell Center for Public Service and the Office of Student Engagement and Inclusion.

Tuesday night’s debate was possibly the only time the two candidates will go head-to-head before the November election. With the race expected to be close, younger voters could potentially play a decisive role in the outcome.

The Office of Student Engagement and Inclusion was on hand to help many of the watch party attendees take steps toward registering to vote. To sign up for Motivote, which offers non-partisan voting information and helps you make a plan to vote, click below.