Battleground UNR

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Watching the gubernatorial debate between State Sen. Dina Titus and U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons on Sept. 25 was like witnessing a fight between two rival schoolchildren.

A dirt-smudged sneaker drew a line in the sand; the playground was divided and the other children were expected to choose sides. There were no boundaries of taste and after the name-calling, biting and rock throwing was over, it was unclear who emerged victorious.

Such was the case in the University of Nevada, Reno's Nightingale Hall as Gibbons and Titus both grappled for victory in the first of four debates scheduled before election day on Nov. 7.

More than 600 people showed up to watch the verbal fistfight, which was televised across the state and was sponsored by Youth Voice Inc., the College Republicans and the Young Democrats. The candidates attacked each other during the one-hour debate on issues like immigration, education reform, voting records and campaign commercials.

"It was a great debate," said Katrina Smith, an audience member. "It was very lively and both sides had great digs."

But many students felt that the personal attacks were unnecessary.

"It was a little immature on both sides and nothing really came of it," said David White, a UNR student. "None of the questions were fully answered. The he-said she-said needs to be left out of the campaign."

The Young Democrats and the College Republicans each held rallies for their prospective candidates before the debate. The Republicans assembled along Virginia Street, waving their Gibbons signs at passing cars, while the Democrats peppered the lawn of the Student Services Building with Titus signs.

"Titus, unite us!" the rally participants chanted outside.

Both parties joined in Nightingale Hall to cheer on their favored candidate as they debated. Gibbons began the debate by criticizing Titus in his opening statement, saying she would do her best to tear him down.

"My opponent will portray me as negatively as she can while making her own record appear to be something other than what it is," Gibbons said. "This race boils down to one important point: I will save you money, and she will cost you money."

But Titus directed her first blow at the audience rather than her opponent.

"I'd like to thank the UNLV students for hosting this debate," Titus said, referring to UNR's Southern rival, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

After students booed at her statement, Titus corrected herself with a smile.

"I've been in the classroom so long, all these students seem the same to me whether you're in the North or in the South," she said.

The candidates held back their insults during the first two segments of the debate in which members and student leaders asked questions. Both candidates stressed their ideas for funding education, promising that it will be a priority in the legislature.

"We have an obligation to educate everyone to their fullest potential," Gibbons said. "Education shouldn't be kicked around like a political football because our children's education is too important and it must be funded first."

Gibbons promoted his Education First initiative, a plan he said would put public education at the top of the funding list. Also, according to Gibbons, the initiative emphasizes the hiring of more qualified teachers and increasing their pay.

Titus also vowed to improve education, saying that she would pour $40 million into all-day kindergarten, improve vocational programs and offer tax breaks to businesses that offered healthcare and on-site daycare.

"Education has always been a priority of mine in the legislature," Titus said. "I've been an unwavering supporter of smaller class sizes, the Millennium Scholarship and all-day kindergarten."

The candidates agreed that Nevada's universities would benefit from raising the out-of-state tuition, although they had different plans for improving education at the university level. Gibbons said he wants to bring more grants and endowments to the universities, while Titus said she would bring economic development of new technology into university studies.

"Higher education is really the best bang for the buck that we get," Gibbons said. "The University of Nevada, Reno has some of the lowest tuitions and those tuitions need to remain low. We may have to raise tuition for out-of-state students, but that will go to keep those in-state tuitions low."

Things got heated in the third segment of the debate when the candidates started criticizing each other. Titus attacked Gibbons for his integrity and for allegedly running false campaign ads concerning her position on taxation and immigration issues.

"This election is for the highest office in the state," Titus said. "It should be run with dignity and honesty, not mocking the voters of Nevada. That's not the kind of governor I believe Nevadans want."

In response, Gibbons said he had documentation to prove the validity of the ads. Gibbons also said that if the ads contained false information, television stations would be obligated to stop showing them.

Titus responded with a reference to Gibbons' speech last year in Elko in which he plagiarized a majority of his oration from a speech made by another politician.

"You are talking about giving me a grade, congressman," Titus said. "In my classes, if you plagiarize, you get an F."

Gibbons then accused Titus of money laundering and asked her why others should be held to a higher standard than she holds herself. Titus said that the accusations were false and that Gibbons and her primary election opponent, Mayor Jim Gibson of Henderson, Nev., filed the complaint, which she called "harassing" and "frivolous."

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