The Student Association held a debate Thursday night in Stevenson with the College Democrats, Libertarians and Republicans.

The debates brought many students of diverse backgrounds. All of the groups spoke about issues such as gay marriage rights, the concealed carry law and public education.

Each group was allotted five minutes to respond to each topic and one minute for rebuttal.

The debate was mediated by Sam Fuqua, senior computer science major, who felt all organizations did a good job at getting their opinions voiced.

“[The debate] went well and it was very lively,” Fuqua said. “Each organization did a great job at getting their point across.”

The College Democrats felt that those in attendance asked good questions.

“I was very surprised at the great quality of questions from the students,” said Daniel Krouse, president of the College Democrats. “The attendance and questions showed that the NIU student body is interested in important issues.”

Members of the College Libertarians gave appreciation to the Student Association for facilitating the program.

“My credit goes to the SA, they put on a very on such an important program,” said Brian Troutman, freshman political science major.

The College Republicans felt the program went well but wanted more time for rebuttal in the future.

“The debate went well; we did want more time for rebuttal,” said Josh Kreft, chairman of the College Republicans.

Students in attendance felt this was a good program and many important issues were discussed.

“The debate went very well and all parties had strong opinions,” said Latonia Reynolds, senior elementary education major. “The debate gave me the chance to hear the views of different parties.”