Barack Obama and John McCain debated in Sarratt Cinema Tuesday night. They were a little lighter in skin tone and a lot younger in age, however.

Prof. John English, who took on the role of Barack Obama, went head to head with recent graduate Alex McVeagh, as John McCain, on a wide range of issues in the 2008 Mock Presidential Debate. Delta Sigma Theta and the Election Alliance hosted the event in Sarratt Cinema to a nearly full house.

“The purpose of tonight was to inform students regarding where the candidates stand on the issues,” said Brittany Simmons, the director of the event for Delta Sigma Theta. “On college campuses, we don’t think a lack of news or events should be an excuse not to be informed, so we wanted to provide an event with easy access to the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities.”

Topics included critical issues like immigration, homeland security and the economy—and the debaters were no less contentious than the real candidates.

“In terms of my opponent making it eight years—well, I don’t know if he’ll make it that far,” English said in his opening rebuttal to McVeagh’s comments. The back and forth continued from there. English criticized McCain for incorrectly claiming maverick status, while McVeagh argued McCain's bipartisanship speaks for itself.

“The debate went very well,” Simmons said, “both debaters are so passionate about their candidates…it went even better than expected.”

Prior to the debate, Prof. Mark Dalhouse moderated an audience discussion entitled “Hot Issues,” touching on, among other things, military service, race, the media portrayal of the candidates and the upcoming vice presidential debates.

“In a lot of ways, I’m looking more forward to the Biden-Palin debate than the presidential debates,” he said. “It should be an example of political theatre at its finest.”

Following Dalhouse, Tennesee State Sen. Thelma Harper also acknowledged the unique candidates on the ballot—and where a voter’s priorities should lie.

“I’ve not run as a female, I’m a senator,” she said, “I must do for my constituents what any other senator must do for theirs.”

Nevertheless, she made her own appeal to youth voters in a digital age.

“For young people, there is no excuse not to be excited about this election—we have candidates on both sides that [my generation] never dreamed of.”