See Jackson

Jackson: Senate candidate holds forum

Continued from Page 1

Jackson also touted his 100-county campaign strategy, which he says will help fight against the misinformation that may be contained in attack ads later in the campaign.

“To familiarize yourself with voters to that extent, to give you some amount of inoculation against disinformation, that takes 100% of your effort,” Jackson said. “It takes 100% of our [efforts] even make a dent in that bubble. But if you don't go out to these places multiple times, it’s hopeless.”

Participants asked questions on topics ranging from the Supreme Court to immigration to hog farming practices.

“It's just been a wonderful education for me,” Jackson said of the issues raised by the town hall participants. “I get as much out of this as all of you.” On the all-important topic of healthcare, Jackson said that he supports a plan that would put medicare on the public exchange by 2024. He also stressed that there simply are not enough votes to create single-payer healthcare.

During the event, Jackson was asked what his “niche issue” is. The state senator said that he is a passionate advocate for early childhood education.

“We were the first state to have universal, full-day kindergarten. There was a lieutenant governor in the 1970s named Jim Hunt who got that done. Then he came back with SmartStart, and then we did pre-K, and we just haven't done much in the space since then.”

Jackson continued: “If they keep the provision with preschool for three-orfour-year olds [in the reconciliation bill], that is huge … I kind of look at early childhood like I look at a stock portfolio. If you just get one or two in there that really go the distance, it makes up for a lot of other bad ones. As far as the government making investments, if we could just do a platinum edition for early childhood, that, frankly, makes up for some other dumb stuff.”

Some who had not heard of Jackson or were leaning toward one of his primary opponents, such as former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley, found themselves impressed.

“You could tell Jackson really has a good understanding of many of the issues,” freshman Tarak Duggal said. “I'm excited to see where this race goes, and I want to keep up with Jackson now, just because I hadn't thought much about him prior to this event.”

Alumnus Mitchell Tague, who said before the start of the town hall that he was seriously considering voting for Beasley, was also impressed.

“Throughout the entire town hall, his focus on practicality and advocating for that not as a way to shoot down ambition, but as a way to find the ambitious projects we can complete, really shone out well to me,” Tague said.

Many students attended the event because they wanted to be informed about one of the most important elections of the 2022 midterm cycle. For most students, these will be the first midterms in which they can vote, and the desire to be prepared is widespread.

“Now that I can finally vote, I'm looking forward to making a decision based on what I actually feel, rather than just following random noise I hear on Twitter or on the news,” junior Brendan Mirra said. “So, I [was] excited to see what he has to say.”

Deb Marke, co-director of Deacs Decide, a nonpartisan group dedicated to increasing voter participation on campus, was thrilled that students had the opportunity to get answers on issues that mattered to them.

“I think it's always a really great practice to talk to your politicians,” Marke said. “We elect them, and they're supposed to work for us. So, giving space to ask questions, to hear more and to also learn about at least one candidate’s platform could be a really great way to start thinking about who is the person that speaks to the issues that you're concerned about.”

Aine Pierre/ Old Gold & Black

State Senator and U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Jackson takes questions from students, faculty, staff and alumni at a town hall event in Pugh Auditorium Monday afternoon.

Orgs. plan South Asian holiday celebration

Multiple culture groups are organizing a "Holiday Fest" on Nov. 12 in Benson 401

BY ASHNA SATPATHY

Contributing Writer satpa21@wfu.edu

As South Asians across the globe prepare for Nov. 4 — the day of Diwali — Wake Forest students that are part of the South Asian Student Association (SASA), the Hindu Student Association (HSA), the Asian Student Interest Group (ASIA) and members of the South Asian community at-large are preparing to celebrate it and other Southesast Asian holidays on campus.

Diwali, a holiday observed by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists celebrates the triumph of good over evil — light over darkness. In the ancient story, the god Rama frees his wife Sita, vanquishes the evil Ravana — who kidnapped Sita — and returns to his kingdom, Ayodhya, in triumph.

Traditionally, people celebrate by going to temple, wearing new clothes, lighting festive lights and having a feast.

“Diwali is more than a celebration of light and goodness — it’s an opportunity for family and friends to gather and enjoy time together,” freshman Ishan Viradia said.

This year, SASA, IHA and ASA are working together to put on a “Holiday Fest”. The festival is planned for Nov. 12, from 7:00-10:30 PM in Benson 401. “We don’t want it to be just for the Indian population, we want our peers and other members of the community to celebrate with us,” SASA President Anusha Vora said of the event.

She continued:“We want it to be nondenominational and have everyone celebrate, even if it’s something someone doesn’t celebrate at home.”

HSA Treasurer Aman Khemlani is also excited for the event.

“Our aim is to expose the Wake Forest community to the various holidays of Southeast Asian cultures,” Khemlani said. “As we strive to keep the event open and accessible to all and also have it serve as an educational opportunity, we have planned to incorporate not just Diwali, but multiple holidays that happen throughout South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures.”

The event will feature dancing, food, educational tables and more. In an effort to be inclusive of more Asian cultures, the event will serve both Indian and Thai cuisine. Members of the organizations will be wearing traditional clothing.

Each organization will have their own educational table and will discuss their own festivals that happen around this time and are “near and dear,” as well as providing education on Diwali itself, according to Vora.

After the educational tables and dinner the Indian dance group Deacon Dhamaals will perform. Then the dance floor will open to everyone else.

“I am looking forward to the Deacon Dhamaals performance,” SASA member Mansi Patel said. “The team has been working super hard and is super pumped.”

According to Vora, members of the administration might also be in attendance. The organizations invited President Susan Wente, Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue and Provost Rogan Kersh.

“I believe this event is an excellent opportunity to teach the Wake Forest community about the cultures, traditions and holidays of our communities as our presence on campus grows larger and the undergraduate body becomes increasingly diverse,” Khemlani said. “It’s an educational opportunity for those not from the respective cultures, and at the same time, a place where South Asians and Southeast Asians can feel at home and embrace their culture.”