Undecided student voters seemed to be few and far between following the last of the presidential debates last night concerning domestic issues.
"I think John Kerry contradicts himself. I was George Bush all the way," said Mike Frodyma, a junior undecided major. "I think Bush did pretty well."
Chris Myron, a senior sociology major, begged to differ.
"I think Kerry left a good impression on domestic issues, which to a lot of people are more important," he said. "Bush did the exact same thing he's done in every debate. He said Kerry's methods won't work, but he won't say what will work."
Many students, however, did not watch the debate between Sen. John Kerry and President George W. Bush for a number of reasons.
"I was doing work," said Mark McKnight, a sophomore undecided major. "Too busy."
Megan Ingvoldstad, a senior anthropology major, said she also didn't watch the debate because she had midterms to study for, but she isn't voting anyway.
"I know it's a bad thing, but I probably won't," she said.
Ingvoldstad added that neither candidate appeals to her. "If there was someone I could support, I'd vote," she said.
Jared Palsky, along with baseball fans across campus, had yet another reason not to watch the debate.
"I don't care. The Yankees game was on," said Palsky, a junior chemical engineering major.
Kingsley Ohikuare, a junior pharmaceutics major, said he didn't watch the debate but remains stuck between choosing a candidate.
"Right now I'm undecided because they're both messing up," he said.
Amberlee Libertone, a junior exercise science major, said the debates have helped her choose between Bush and Kerry.
"The first one informed my opinion when every question Bush answered, he just answered in different a form," she said.
Now, having been turned off by Bush, Libertone said she's with Kerry all the way, especially in the issues that concern her as an African American, like the current unemployment rate.
Many Bush supporters, however, said they feel the incumbent can better handle issues like unemployment, education, and healthcare.
"I think that Kerry presented himself better, but I think Bush is a little more articulate with his issues, the issues at hand," said Reed Goodman, a sophomore English major.
Bernice D'Souza, said she wasn't aware of the debate, but she can't vote in November because she is an international student from Kuwait.
"If we could vote, we would vote for Kerry. We're from the Middle East, and we don't like what's going on in Iraq right now," said D'Souza, a freshman occupational therapy major.
Whether they watched the debate or not, some students questioned if at this point the debates even matter.
"I don't think it changed things significantly. I feel people have already formed their opinions," said Ken Kim, a senior communication major. "I feel Bush is going to win though because people would rather see him change than change the president."
Charles Rogers, a junior history major, agreed that most voters are already decided, and noted the way the country is split down the middle, even within households.
"(My dad) was upstairs rooting for Bush and we were downstairs rooting for Kerry," he said.
Rogers added that he didn't think voters put too much stock in the pundits that come on after the candidates.
"I think the media themselves can be biased, the way they spin things," he said. "A lot of people just watch the debate and turn their TVs off."
Like Rogers, Chris McClellan watched the debate with someone rooting for the other side.
"We find pros and cons and our own way to interpret things," said McClellan, a Bush supporter and sophomore aerospace engineering major.
"From what I saw, (Bush) kind of still stuck his foot in his mouth, but last night he was much better than in the first debate," he added.
McClellan said he felt some of the debate questions have been biased against Bush, but in the end, after all the spin, all that matters is the candidates themselves.
"Of course you'll listen to someone else's opinion, but I think you can make your own decision," he said. That's what the debates are all about."
