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Ayla Castano
Laura Willaims
Humanities 1100
26 October 2016
Civic Engagement Activity
1. What event did you attend or where did you volunteer (name and location of event, date, time)?
(1 )
On October 10th 2016 at 6:00pm, I attended The 4th District Congressional Debate. This event was held
on the Miller Campus of Salt Lake Community College.
2. Describe in detail what you did, interactions you had, and the results of your efforts. If you
attended a town hall meeting, County Council meeting, lecture or documentary, describe in
detail the issues that were discussed. (5)
I witnessed the debate between Mia Love and Doug Owens. Some of the issues that were discussed
were the following:
Their stance on the presidential election and the values they would like to see in the
next president.
-Mia Love claimed that she has not endorsed either candidate at the top of the ticket, because
neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton represent her values. She said that she was looking
into the other candidates available on the ballot.
-Doug Owens claimed that he has not made any endorsements but will be voting for his partys
candidate. (Hillary Clinton) He also emphasized that citizens should be concerned about voting

for someone in congress that will take Utahs values to Washington.

Acts of Domestic terrorism and concerns about national security. (How do we fight
terrorism without becoming a police state?)
-Doug Owens claimed that his priority is keeping Americans safe at home. He also said that it
is important for congress to give the military, FBI, Immigration authorities, etc. all the resources
they need to ensure our safety or combat terror.
-Mia Love claimed we have a serious problem in our country, and that 47% of Americans are
fearful that they or a loved one will be the victim of terrorist activity. She also said that the
administration has been gutting the military for years, and she believes that we will see
peace when we are a beacon of strength. And that providing the military with the resources
they need is vital.

What measures will be supported to reduce income inequality and food insecurity?
(Such as raising the federal minimum wage, expanding child nutrition programs, and
boosting stamp benefits?)
-Mia Love claimed that there is a difference between intergenerational poverty and situational
poverty and sometimes the solution for one perpetuates the other. She also said that it is
important in Washington to give our local agencies the resources they need in order to take
care of poverty. She says artificially raising the minimum wage will be problematic and it is
more important to be innovative and create jobs, bringing down the unemployment rate and
naturally bring up the minimum wage.
-Doug Owens claimed that this is why he is running. He sees too many families working 2-3
jobs just to put food on the table. He mentioned that the jobs lost during the recession on
average paid 22% more than the jobs created since the recession, meaning we are working
harder, and more often yet not doing as well. He says he has a job plan he hopes to introduce
in congress that will work on education, deregulation, and ensuring we have a lower corporate

tax rate and rebuilding infrastructure.

The cost of tuition has increased 2 to 3 times compared to the rate of inflation yet a
higher education is the only hope for improvement for low income families. What would
you do to increase FAFSA awards or reinstate year round financial award?
-Doug Owens claimed that he strongly believes in public education, and that education is the
number one pathway to helping people. He believes we should invest in our people, and
enable them to take care of themselves and their families. He says it is a critical issue for us to
get every federal dollar we can into education system because it is the number one pathway to
getting people out of poverty.
-Mia Love claimed that she also is concerned about the state of college students finances and
that the fact that tuition costs are rising at 2 to 3 times the rate of inflation is making it difficult
for middle and lower income families to go to school. She also said that she believes education
is a great equalizer and she would like to put free market principals into our college education,

in hopes of putting money back into the hands of families.

Do you believe in scientific evidence that concludes human activity affects climate
change/ what is the appropriate role of the federal government/congress on this issue?
-Mia Love spoke about the first town hall meeting she held in West Jordan and claimed that the
number one issue brought up was climate change. She mentioned that it is obvious that the
state of Utah has an issue with air quality during the winter. She also said that its important for

us to focus on solutions available such as removing vehicles off the road that emit too many
pollutants as well as utilizing clean energy.
-Doug Owens says there is strong evidence that humans are influencing climate change
rapidly and that the larger question is what are we going to do about it? He says that we need
to make sure whatever is done, is done on an international basis. He also mentions that our
number one issue is with jobs and with people living in poverty as well as climate change and
he sees an opportunity to combine these issues by investing in clean energy systems. By
doing so we will create jobs, as well as renewable energy that we can then export around the
world.
3. How did your service (or the issues discussed) relate to the topic of Freedom, Responsibility
and Justice? Think about making connections between this experience and the values in your
personal definition of freedom. (5)
Although the issues discussed in this debate were rather standard I do believe that every one of them
relates to the topic of Freedom, Responsibility and Justice. This experience allowed me to identify
these candidates stances on the Presidential Election, National Security, Education and Financial Aid
for low income families, as well as Environmental Issues. These are all necessary values that I take
into consideration, when defining my freedom.
4. Do you feel that community involvement is an important responsibility of citizens in a
democratic society? (1) Why or why not? (2)
I certainly believe that being involved within your community/ educated on what is taking place within it
is an important aspect of being a responsible citizen, particularly in a democratic society. Democracy is
government by the people, for the people. If people are not involved or aware, it gives people who
maintain positions of power the opportunity to act according to their interests rather than the majoritys
that they should be representing.
5. Did you feel that your participation made you a more responsible citizen in terms of promoting
your own freedom or the freedom of others? (1) Why or why not? (2)
I felt that attending this event made me a more responsible citizen because I now have the opportunity
to make a more educated vote for the candidate that will be representing my district in congress. It is
particularly important because their opinions could potentially affect me. I also feel that I could share
the knowledge I obtained with another person if they were interested, or unsure who they would like to
vote for.
6. Did you enjoy this experience and would you do it again? (1) Why or why not? (2)

I enjoyed this experience, I found it pretty interesting because it was the first political event I have ever
attended. In fact this is the first election that I have had the chance to partake in so that is a little bit
exciting. I think I would consider attending another debate, because it was interesting and helped me
feel more informed about the choices I will make on Election Day.