Student government continues flash debate and lecture series

This fall, Student Government started up its Flash Lecture series after a successful trial of the program last spring.

The flash lectures are designed to offer students a "'spontaneous educational lesson'" on topics that they may have not had the interest to pursue on their own before,” according to SG Senator Phil Abbruscato, who helps organize the flash lectures.

The lectures take place in an informal environment and last 15 to 20 minutes.

“We have drawn crowds through flash lectures with a broad field of topics ranging from US environmental policies to flash yoga classes,” said Abbruscato in an email.

This semester's flash lectures resume with an emphesis on the upccoming presidential election.

“This was a student government initiative that we started last spring,” said Abbruscato. “They were very very successful, so we decided to continue it again in the fall. But this time around we decided to put an election spin on it.”

The purpose of this is to  “educate students on the issues of the upcoming election and the stances of the two party platforms and excite them to go out and vote November 6^th,” said Abbruscato.

On Oct. 17, Bryan Caplan, an economics professor, and Steven Pearlstein, a Robinson professor, held a flash debate on the North Plaza.

Pearlstein and Caplan debated whether federal subsidies should be given to help universities.

“I like talking to students who aren’t listening to because they have,” said Caplan. “Any student who is willing to sit and attend a lecture just for their own education…that is why I like being in this business.”

“Maybe we should organize as they used to organize them, so that debates and lecture that are just kind of open things that people go when they want to,” said Pearlstein.

Promotion for the flash lectures is done through social media a few minutes before the lecture will begin, keeping in line with the theme of spontaneity, according to Abbruscato. SG members will be on twitter and facebook before the lectures.

“If you happen to stumble upon a flash lecture, make sure you pull at your phone and tweet #GMUinaflash,” said Abbruscato.