On Tuesday Oct. 30, a panel of students, professors, and experts met in the Trophy Room to discuss and evaluate President Obama’s four years in office before an audience of students and members of the community. Pat Snyder, a leader of Health Care for All in Contra Costa County, said that “There are many issues not talked about in the campaign.” These yearly meetings are an opportunity to discuss issues not addressed in the presidential debates.

The panel included three DVC professors: Dr. Amer Araim, president of the Islamic Community Outreach of California; Dr. Jeremy Cloward, who teaches political science and participates in the American Political Science Association; and Mickey Huff, director of Project Censored, co-author of “Censored 2013,” and co-host of the Project Censored Show on KPFA 94.1 in Berkeley.

Four students also participated: Alexi Smirnov and David Robinson from Model United Nations, Nicolas Holmes from Students for a Democratic Society and an Inquirer staff writer, and Hakeem Montes from the Muslim Students Association and the editor in chief of the Inquirer. Pat Snyder and Phil Lawson, a retired reverend and well-known advocate for justice and peace, also participated.

The discussion covered a range of topics including censorship, health care, and globalization. The panel also discussed the United Nations Security Council and the war in Afghanistan. Robinson outlined the benefits of the UN, calling it an organization that “allows every country’s voice to be heard” in a time when “the age of imperialism is fading.”

Local issues were also covered, such as the use of drone planes by Alameda County’s police department and California’s single payer health care bill, SB 810, which was vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger twice and by Gov. Brown on Jan. 31.

Pat Snyder went over health care issues, stating that “we need to move to a program like Medicare.” She agreed with Obama that the United States needs health care reform, but disagreed with the Affordable Care Act because it is “not sustainable.”

In a question and answer session after the panel discussion, one student, who recently had two back surgeries, asked Snyder how organizations like Health Care for All planned to transition to a single-payer system. She answered that it would have to be achieved first in the states with laws such as SB 810. Other audience members asked questions about the United States’ role in the UN and shared concerns about government surveillance.

At the end of the event, Mickey Huff encouraged the audience to get involved, either through DVC groups like the Muslim Students Association and Students for a Democratic Society, or by organizing discussions of their own through one of DVC’s many student organizations.