The State of the Union
Several hundred PCC students congregated in the Sports Center on an icy Tuesday evening. They gathered around the large screen used for showing events that interest many people, such as World Series games or presidential debates. Every chair in the viewing area was filled, and many students stood at the back of the room or sat on the floor to watch President Barack Obama give the State of the Union Address.
The students listened respectfully as the President spoke about the issues facing America, such as the economy, health care, unemployment and minimum wage. Because I am an education major, I was especially interested in what he said about a mandatory pre-kindergarten program that would help to “guarantee each child access to a world-class education.” Beginning with “My fellow Americans” and ending with “God bless the United States of America,” the speech ran just over an hour.
Many dedicated students stayed after the address for the traditional rebuttal by the opposing party. The rebuttal was delivered by Republican congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a graduate of Pensacola Christian College. Her short speech showed that the Republican party is concerned about the same problems that the Democratic party is, though they disagree on the solutions to those problems. She mentioned her special needs child, calling him “a gift from God.” The PCC students applauded at the conclusion of our alumna's speech.
I had the privilege of speaking with PCC's president, Dr. Shoemaker, near the end of the speech. Dr. Shoemaker said that he was pleased with the high student turnout and mentioned that should interest in the speech remain high next year, a larger meeting place would be considered. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to listen to the address with my fellow students.
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