On Oct. 21, Fairfield students and community members alike packed the Kelley Theatre at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts for a special installment of the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum lecture series—the Annual Student Forum.
Featuring political commentators Molly Jong-Fast and Guy Benson, the evening's discussion was titled “Midterm Forecast for America 250: Does the Pendulum Swing?”
Molly Jong-Fast is an American journalist, novelist, and political commentator. She hosts the Fast Politics podcast, and is the author of How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir. Guy Benson is an American columnist, commentator, and political pundit. A political editor of Townhall.com, a contributor to Fox News, and a conservative talk radio host on Fox News Radio, he formerly worked for NPR.
Tom Fitzmaurice ’27, Fairfield University Student Association president, introduced Jong-Fast and Benson before three Fairfield students joined the two experts onstage. The student participants were chosen for their significant roles in the political and journalistic landscape of Fairfield University’s campus: Michaela Ann Alsiadi ’27, Fairfield University College Democrats (Fairfield U Dems) club president; Sophia Cossitt-Levy ’27, editor-in-chief of the independent student newspaper The Fairfield Mirror; and Samuel Harrison ’27, president of Fairfield’s chapter of Turning Point USA.
A Lively Political Conversation, Two Weeks Before Election Day
Student panelists led the discussion with questions on national and international policy. The well-informed and highly respected voices of Jong-Fast and Benson shed light on the upcoming election—the forum took place two weeks before Election Day—in a lively political conversation that touched upon topics from inflation to immigration.
The discussion highlighted both sides of the political spectrum, providing audience members invaluable perspectives on the potential election outcomes and broader implications for the future of American politics.
"As a student-centered university, we have taken special pride in putting the spotlight on our student leaders at the pre-election Forums for over three decades,” said Philip I. Eliasoph, PhD, special assistant to the president for arts and culture, director of the Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum, and professor of art history and visual culture.
Dr. Eliasoph noted to the packed audience that in preparation for their encounter with these nationally recognized experts on the political/cultural landscape, each student did a deep dive into the leading issues and topics facing the American electorate for the Midterm 2026 balloting.
"With clarity and insight," Dr. Eliasoph said, "the students were notably well-prepared, their meaningful ideas flowing into an unscripted, animated conversation with Molly Jong-Fast and Guy Benson.”
No Place for Political Violence
Alsiadi and Harrison questioned Jong-Fast and Benson on the economy, while Cossitt-Levy raised topics such as the importance of young voters. The group then turned to discussions of international policy and AI.
As the evening came to a close, Benson and Jong-Fast agreed that there is no place for political violence. Referring to the United States, Benson said, “I hope we can get to a place where we can all say we love this place.”
Learn more about upcoming programs, and the Eliasoph Open Visions Forum, at fairfield.edu/quickcenter.
