The Extra Curricular: Colonial Crossfire

The following post was written by peer advisor Benji, a sophomore studying Political Communication. You can find out more about Benji here.
Hello UHPers and welcome to the home stretch! Spring has sprung and before you know it finals will be over and summer will be here.
GW offers plenty of activities to fill up this last month of school, but one that is particularly important to me, and has been throughout my entire college experience, is Colonial Crossfire. As GWTV’s political news and debate show, Crossfire is a perfect opportunity for aspiring politicos like myself to gain experience and have fun discussing current events with a great group of people.

On each episode of Crossfire we invite two students from opposing sides of the aisle to discuss topics ripped straight from the headlines. The 2016 election has given us no shortage of material but we have also discussed immigration, health care, and foreign policy. We’ve also conduct interviews in studio with GW professors about North Korea and the Zika virus.
As a freshman, I started out doing a lot of work behind the scenes: operating the camera, running the teleprompter, and adjusting the audio. Only a year later I’m the Senior Producer, helping to decide each of our debate topics and playing an integral role in the overall operation of the show. This is an activity where even underclassmen are given the chance to take on leadership roles.
Throughout the past two years Colonial Crossfire has been an instrumental part of my college career. Not only has it has given me the opportunity to learn real world skills that I can use in the workforce; it has provided me with a place to indulge in my political nerdiness. Especially in this chaotic election season, Crossfire is a place where students from across the political spectrum can join in productive, enlightening discussion about important issues.

What’s more, many of those students are in the UHP! Both of our on air talent, moderator Andrew Desiderio and fact checker Casey Decker, are UHPers, as are past executive producers and moderators. There is a long and storied tradition of Honors students playing an important role on Colonial Crossfire. If you ask me, it’s not by coincidence. The two are places where lively discussion is encouraged and community is fostered.
If you’re interested in joining, we are always looking for people who love politics and want a chance to write, edit, research, edit video, and even appear on camera. We use the TV studio in the Media and Public Affairs building, so those on our team also have the chance to learn how to run a control room, monitor audio, work cameras, and more. Colonial Crossfire tapes on Friday mornings several times each semester in SMPA’s fifth floor TV studio. Interested in joining? Email gwcrossfire@gmail.com and hit me up with any questions.

Good luck with the rest of the year!