Though it’s been barely a full year since the start of the new decade, the 2020s have already seen their fair share of political drama: impeachments, insurrection, a contested election — it has left some UO students wondering where they fit into it all.
Sophomores Eric Yan and Conall Anderson, the co-founders of the UO College Moderates, say they may have found an answer. UO College Moderates is a new group on campus open to students from all sides of the political spectrum who share a skepticism for extremism, they said. The group has only had four meetings, but Yan and Anderson said that the group’s discussions have already led them to take a second look at their own beliefs.
“We have disagreements, but they’re always polite,” Yan said. “I think that this club has given me some insight into why people may think or say certain things that I previously thought were unreasonable.”
The UO College Moderates currently has 11 members, Yan said, though average meeting attendance hovers around five or six. Anderson said the majority of the group’s members identify as either moderate Democrats or Libertarians, but he encourages students from all political backgrounds to join, as long as they are open-minded and willing to discuss and defend their beliefs.
“That’s one of the reasons why we named the group college moderates,” Anderson said. “A lot of people can fit under that umbrella, and it’s really just kind of a shortcut to open discussion.”
At the start of the meetings, which the group holds once a week over Zoom, Yan initiates a discussion about a recent news headline. Then, the group launches into an in-depth discussion on a hypothetical bill meant to address a current issue, such as COVID-19 relief, Yan said. They call this “mock legislation,” and the goal is to reach an agreement with approval from at least 60% of the group’s members.
Both Yan and Anderson — who were friends before the group’s formation — consider themselves to be moderate Democrats. The club was Yan’s idea, and Anderson said that he decided to get on board after attending meetings for the UO College Democrats and becoming disappointed by the lack of diversity in its members’ political leanings.
“It’s not that they didn’t allow open discussion,” Anderson said, “it was just more of a homogenous group.”
Yan and Anderson agree that the term “moderate” has some misconceptions, especially in a place as polarized as Eugene. Yan said that while the term is vague, he defines it as anyone who tries to avoid extremist ideologies. He also sees the ability to compromise with those who have different beliefs as integral to moderate politics, and said that in a successful compromise, both sides of the debate get closer to achieving their goals.
Anderson stressed that people who identify as politically moderate are no less passionate about their beliefs than someone on the extreme right or left. He said that from his perspective, moderates are more willing to adjust their stance on certain issues not because they don’t feel strongly about them, but because they understand that every piece of legislation can have unintended consequences that may affect others negatively.
UO Political Science professor Gerald Berk said the meaning of the term moderate can vary widely depending on where in the country you are. He said that a moderate politician from Wyoming or Montana will likely have very different beliefs than a self-described moderate from the South.
However, because Oregon is a predominantly left-leaning state, Berk said that historically, moderate politicians in Oregon tend to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal, balancing concerns for civil rights and environmental issues with policies that promote the interests of big business.
He said that he supports the introduction of any political group on campus, as long as they are willing to provide a focused initiative to engage in politics from every angle.
“There are so many pressing problems right now, it’s important for us to know why a moderate position is a better approach to dealing with problems like the pandemic, or inequality,” Berk said.
Yan said a highly-polarized political environment can lead to certain voices being heard louder than others, with partisan viewpoints drowning out those from a more centered line of thinking.
“I think the best way to counter extremism, especially if you’re a college student with very little power, is to try and lift up more moderate voices,” Yan said. “By simply staying silent, the extremists will only get louder.”
