The eyes of voters across the United States were on Belmont University on Thursday, Oct. 22 as President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden met in the school’s Curb Event Center for the final Presidential Debate of the 2020 election season.
Spruce Pine native and Mitchell High graduate Cassi Phillips had a closer view than most.
Phillips, a senior at Belmont, serves as President of the Belmont University College Republicans and Treasurer of the Tennessee College Republicans.
Phillips is studying political science, so since it was announced more than a year ago that Belmont would host a Presidential debate in 2020, she’s been busy.
“I’ve been talking with our newspaper about it for the last year,” Phillips said. “With COVID and everything, it has changed a lot over that time.”
In any other year, Phillips and her fellow classmates in campus political organizations would have had more opportunities to engage with the debate than they ended up with in the reality of the ongoing pandemic.
Some students have volunteered to help with the event while Phillips and the College Republicans have been working with the Belmont Student Engagement Committee to encourage students to be politically involved. The Republican group also recently held a debate with the College Democrats.
“It was definitely pretty intense at times because of this election and how high-strung it is,” Philips admitted.
Phillips said that despite the unique changes that COVID has caused for the event, getting to be on campus leading up to the debate was something special. Limited spectators were allowed inside the building for the debate due to the pandemic.
“We’re trying hard as a university to make it something inclusive,” she said. “It’s not nearly as hyped up as it was going to be but you get to be a part of this historical moment in some way.”
Phillips said in the days leading up to the debate, she fielded numerous interview requests from reporters across the nation. This, of course, was in addition to increased security across the Belmont campus that tightened even more in the days and hours leading up to the big event.
Phillips said seeing the United States Secret Service, local police and security patrolling the campus combined with large fenced-in areas that restricted access of certain areas to credentialed staff made things feel notably different.
“It’s super exciting for me as a political science major,” Phillips said. “I love politics and having the whole world look at my school is really cool.”
Phillips is in the process of applying to graduate school where she hopes to earn her Master’s in public administration with the goal of eventually working in the government on policy-related matters.
Phillips, who twice interned on Capitol Hill, said being part of the debate on her college campus is something she’ll always remember, even as she soon transitions into post-undergraduate life.
“Being able to host these two candidates is pretty unique to any other school,” Phillips said. “That’s one of the coolest things. As a senior, it’s especially helpful because people will know what school I’m talking about when I say I graduated from Belmont.”