Campaign Stop 2016 website showcases Duke’s political opinions

Keeping up with Duke opinions about the 2016 presidential election has become easier thanks to a new faculty and student project.

The Office of News and Communications recently launched a year-long initiative called Campaign Stop 2016, a website that features the Duke community’s thoughts and opinions on the 2016 election. The project includes Democratic and Republican undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members. Keith Lawrence, executive director of news and communications, explained that the project’s main goal is to highlight what people on campus have to say about the current political atmosphere.

“We feel like Duke has a lot of resources that can contribute to public understanding, and that’s what we wanted to take advantage of,” he said.

Lawrence noted that the project’s main platform is the website but that it also includes social media and podcasts. The site includes sections dedicated to national issues and foreign affairs as well as columns written by students and experts in various fields.

A main focus of the initiative is to include students in the political discussions, Lawrence explained. Currently, 38 student bloggers contribute to the website and many are involved in producing the site, he said. Several students have also interviewed faculty members for features on the site.

“We’re really trying to highlight our students,” Lawrence said. “We invited them to play a significant role.”

For instance, Lawrence explained that junior Madeleine Roberts had the idea for a feature called “Throwback Thursday” in which students interview faculty members about their political involvement when they were in college. Now, she is in charge of running that feature.

Junior Adam Lemon, one of the writers for Campaign Stop 2016 and president of Duke College Republicans, noted that the project captures a wide range of student perspectives.

“It’s impressive to see the comprehensive and diverse nature of the student writers, as nearly every major person involved in the political realm here on campus is involved,” he wrote in an email.

In addition, the project also provides a platform for faculty members’ insights into the 2016 election.

Peter Feaver, professor of political science and public policy, noted that Duke has many faculty members with expertise on the top issues in the election.

“This is a place to bring that expertise together and showcase it,” he said. “It’s a way to make sure there’s a Duke brand on that expertise.”

Feaver and Bruce Jentleson, professor of political science and public policy, currently host a podcast for the website that discusses foreign policy issues such as the situation in Syria, the Islamic State group, and terrorism.

Jentleson noted that the podcast often involves disagreement between the two hosts, but that he believes their discussions show how issues can be debated in a respectful way.

“[The campaign] demonstrates an effort by Duke to engage with society,” he said.

Another goal of the project is to provide a place for outside media outlets to turn to for student and professor opinions, Lawrence explained. He said he hopes that reporters who are looking to interview students might use the website for this.

Lemon added that the website also provides a convenient location for media organizations to gauge the current opinions at universities across the country.

The feedback for the project has been mostly positive so far, Lawrence noted, although he said he hopes to do more marketing and outreach. The project is working to market to the Duke community and anyone else who is interested in politics, he said.

Lemon said that he thinks the project will soon have a significant impact on campus.

“I can guarantee you once the ball gets rolling and election season kicks into high gear that Campaign Stop will be an integral part of Duke’s 2016 experience,” he said.