Panel and Play: Debating the Death Penalty

By Chris Van Guilder, SJU '08

Capital punishment, the death penalty, retribution, cruel and unusual punishment-call it what you wish, the debate over the effectiveness and success of capital punishment is prevalent in political elections, discussions and our lives as students and citizens.

This week, the CSB-SJU community has the opportunity to explore this issue in a formal, creative, and educational manner. On Saturday, January 21 and Sunday the 22nd, the play The Exonerated will be held on the SJU campus at the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater at 8:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively. Performed by Los Angeles' "Actor's Gang," The Exonerated is a riveting drama about six wrongly convicted individuals who were condemned to death and spent years on Death Row before being cleared of the charges and set free. CSB-SJU Executive Director of Fine Arts Programming Anna Thompson states, "It is an excellent ensemble performance, and it presents each individual's story from police interviews till their release from death row. The one commonality all these characters share is that they all had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had blind faith in a justice system that is not always blind to race, background, political pressure or financial status."

Prior to Saturday's performance, a panel of four CSB-SJU students will formally discuss and debate the death penalty from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge. Co-sponsored by the Public Policy Learning Community and CSB-SJU Fine Arts Programming, the panel is in connection with the performance presented by The Actors' Gang and will be moderated by '65 SJU alum and attorney at law Dan Eller. Mr. Eller graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969, is a law clerk to Federal Judge Miles Lord, and has been practicing law in the St. Cloud area since 1970. With his experience in numerous serious felony and first-degree murder cases, the presence of Mr. Eller will provide professionalism, structure, and intrigue to this volatile topic.

The students participating in the debate are Amanda Benedict, a sophomore political science major; Jon Casper, a senior political science major; Luke Fischer, a sophomore political science major; and Vanessa Williams, a junior political science major. Amanda and Luke will discuss in favor of the effectiveness, necessity, and morality of the death penalty as a public policy. Jon and Vanessa will debate in opposition of capital punishment as unnecessary, ineffective, and immoral in practice.

Through the debate and performance of The Exonerated, the Public Policy Learning Community and Fine Arts Programming promises to deliver a night of thoughtful discussion and debate as students are allowed a unique look into debate and the lives of a few surrounding capital punishment. Regardless of your opinions on the death penalty, all students are welcome to explore the many nuances surrounding such an emotional topic. For more information concerning the debate, The Exonerated, or The Actor's Gang, please visit: www.csbsju.edu/finearts or www.theactorsgang.com