Editor's Note: Ghalib and Basham lead the College Democrats. Jacobson and Gamero lead the College Republicans.
At regular meetings of the College Republicans and the College Democrats, our club members frequently mention a hesitation to voice their true beliefs on campus due to worries about potential social or academic consequences. For all the talk of “safe spaces” in higher education, we can still feel it’s a risk to contradict the perceived shared opinion dominating the classroom or the lunch table.
This isn’t unique to Middlebury. Political polarization has made authentic discourse harder to find across the U.S. Whether online or in person, it’s easy to encase ourselves in personalized echo chambers where complex issues are simple; where it’s us vs. them, moral vs. immoral, good vs. evil. But when we think this way — when those who vote differently than we do become “the bad guys” — we begin to believe that they are too misinformed, too misguided, too biased to talk to at all. We give up on finding common ground before even trying. And in doing so, we the people cede our political power.
Politicians, media companies, and interest groups won’t save us from polarization. They benefit too much from our division. It’s on us to push back in the only way we can: by actively engaging with each other.
With this in mind, before winter break, the College Democrats and College Republicans held our first-ever joint meeting, a forum for civil discourse across political lines. We had no certainty that it would work. On a majority-liberal campus where free speech has often been a flashpoint, would students engage with each other? Would conversation devolve into fighting? Would anyone even show up?
The results, however, surprised us. Attendees filled Hillcrest until we ran out of chairs. Conservatives, liberals, and moderates. The leader of Middlebury's No Kings protest and the writer of an opinion piece opposing it. Students across ages, majors and ideologies.
We had prepared some potential discussion topics, but once we broke into smaller groups, we let the dialogue flow. And it did — dozens of people stayed to continue their conversations for an hour longer than scheduled. We talked about political extremism and culture war issues. We discussed President Trump and his latest priorities. We spoke about future leaders and what’s best for America. And we did it all with respect, civility, and a genuine desire to listen to and learn from each other.
Some attendees were club regulars. But many showed up having never attended a political club meeting at all. Those newcomers made it clear to us why they came: for, as one freshman put it, “the freedom to disagree.”
College President Ian Baucom vowed in a Sept. 11, 2025, letter to the community that at Middlebury, we will “never seek to close free inquiry, or shut down ideas with which we disagree.” At the first College Democrats and College Republicans joint meeting, students came with open minds to have their ideas challenged, not echoed; their horizons broadened, not reinforced. To preserve the great American experiment, we’ll need a lot more of that.
Our next College Republicans and College Democrats Joint Meeting will be on Monday, Jan. 19, at 8 p.m. in Hillcrest 103. We hope to see you there. For more information about our clubs, read on.
College Republicans was re-established in 2024 with two core goals: to uphold freedom of speech and to foster genuine academic viewpoint diversity on campus. We are a group of students united by an interest in politics, policy and current events. Our organization hosts weekly meetings, sponsors speakers, volunteers and works to ensure that a wide range of perspectives are heard and thoughtfully engaged with across the college community. Our meetings are grounded in intellectually rigorous, ideologically nuanced discussion, analysis, and debate. Regardless of political affiliation, we welcome any student interested in politics to join us — everyone is encouraged to attend and participate. The Middlebury College Republicans meet on Mondays at 8 p.m. in Axinn 219.
College Democrats brings people together to discuss politics, social issues, and current events. We are firm believers in free speech and welcome students of all political views and levels of knowledge to our meetings. We also bring in political professionals and government officials to let students talk directly with them — not through panels or speeches, but through informal roundtable conversations — about how best to shape our great nation. The Middlebury College Democrats meet on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in Hillcrest 103.
