A-State Students Will Produce Three Live Political Debates in October

Arkansas State University’s ASU-TV will host three debates between candidates for office in October — and students will run the production.

The schedule

All three begin at 6 p.m. on Thursdays — 1, 8 and 22 October — covering the Arkansas House District 36 race, the US House District 1 race and the US Senate race respectively.

The debates air on ASU-TV, KASU Public Radio at A-State, Red Wolf Radio and KLEK-FM.

The part that matters if you are choosing a programme

Students in Galen Perkins’ Video Two class organise the programmes. This is not a simulation exercise: it is live television, broadcast, with a real audience and real candidates in the studio.

Johnathan Reaves, instructor of mass communication and the producer, said: “I am excited to see our students play such a vital role in bringing these debates to the viewers. Not only is this an invaluable learning opportunity, but it also gives them valuable real-world experience in live television production while contributing to an important civic event. There is no better classroom than working on a broadcast that directly serves the community and helps inform voters.”

The panel includes the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper The Herald, a KASU reporter and its news director, the general manager of KLEK and the president of the A-State Pre-Law Club — so students sit on both sides of the desk, producing and questioning.

A note for international students

Working on a production as part of a class is coursework, not employment, so it does not count against the 20-hour weekly on-campus work limit an F-1 visa allows. A paid campus position would. See our page on maintaining F-1 status.

Source: astate.edu