By Chris Timasonravichkit ’27, staff writer
A community-wide debate series is giving students, faculty and local residents the opportunity to engage in civil discussion.
The series, titled "Talking With, Not At" is held monthly at Annville's Allen Theatre in collaboration with The Hustings, an independent, non-partisan news organization, which regularly features articles by pundits from the political left, right and center. Both organizations aim to bring people of different backgrounds together to share their thoughts on current events, politics and policy.
"As a public meeting place, the root of everything is building open-mindedness and curiosity," Michael Cantor, Allen Theatre & Salamander Books and Music co-owner, said. "The debate is a big part of it; I think all of us have probably changed our views at one point."
The theatre has hosted four debates since the series launched in March, covering the Trump economy, the SAVE America Act, the U.S. war with Iran and the future of American democracy.
"The first couple of debates we had more or less a half dozen students from LVC attending," Todd Lassa, co-founder of the debate series and founding editor of The Hustings, said. "We want them to feel comfortable and they have in terms of getting up before the podium and expressing their opinions."
One of those students was senior political science major Jakob Strohl ’26.
"The debate was wonderful and operated more akin to a town hall," he said. "It was a wonderful way to meet people in the community and participate in discourse, especially ramping up to the midterms."
On Sep. 7, Dr. Sarah McDowell, Vice Provost of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, sent a campus-wide email alerting students and faculty to increased political activity as it relates to the 2026 midterm elections.
"As we move into election season, you may notice increased political and civic activity on and around campus," McDowell said. "Their presence does not mean that LVC sponsors or endorses them; we encourage everyone to engage- or choose not to engage- while treating one another with respect and care valuing free expression."
As the debate's moderator, Lassa has prioritized civility above all and begins each discussion with a factual overview of the topic at hand before opening up the mic to participants.
"We want people to be respectful of each other; we're not going to allow any shouting matches," Lassa said. "None of that has happened so far."
The next debate will be held on Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2026 from 6-7 p.m. with participants discussing whether there should be increased federal regulation of Big Tech companies. The topic of discussion is especially relevant as national leaders in technology and politics make their cases for increased or hands-off regulation of artificial intelligence (AI).
This past April, the national debate over AI data centers became personal for many local residents after a developer proposed the construction of a $1.7 billion AI data center in South Annville Township. The project was ultimately withdrawn after public opposition.
The "Talking With, Not At" debate series is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in participating can email info@allentheatre.com for more details. Participants are encouraged to inform the organizers of their stance on the month's debate topic ahead of time to ensure all perspectives are represented.