Former members of Congress L. F. Payne, a Democrat from Virginia, and David A. Trott, a Republican from Michigan, visited Washington and Lee University last month through a program called Congress to Campus. The program is designed to engage students in civic education and productive partisanship, according to its website.
Since Congress to Campus was started more than 40 years ago, it has reached 183 colleges in 43 states and seven countries. On March 17, Washington and Lee joined the list. Payne and Trott visited classes, mingled with students and gave a public lecture in University Chapel.
The Ring-tum Phi’s Emma Malinak sat down with Payne and Trott during their visit to learn about their experience in the nation’s capital and with the Congress to Campus program.
Editors’ Note: The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Can you tell me about the goals of Congress to Campus and how you got involved with the program?
Payne: The idea of Congress to Campus is that we, as former members of Congress who have experienced life in Congress, visit college campuses as teams — one Democrat and one Republican. We talk about the Constitution, and we talk about our government writ large.
Trott: The other goal of the Congress to Campus program is to give students an opportunity to see a Republican and Democrat talking about the issues facing our country and discussing those problems in a civil manner. For us, it’s just a great opportunity to visit beautiful campuses and meet the next generation of leaders.
Q: What’s one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned while visiting these campuses?
Payne: I think some of the more memorable things are students who we’ve met along the way, who are looking at participating in public service.
Trott: Media covers the extremes — like violence on campuses over the issues of the day. So I think what’s probably most refreshing is seeing students really interested in trying to find solutions. They’re much more interested in civil dialogue and pragmatic approaches to problems than you would expect from campuses.
Q: Are there any common misconceptions that students have about starting a career in the federal government?
Payne: I think a very popular misconception that we deal with, specifically about Congress, is how people really don’t get along, and that you’re either a member of one team or the other, and whichever you choose, then you have no interest in working with others. But the Constitution of the United States really anticipates that people work together, that they compromise, they talk to each other, they have civil conversation. I think we’re able to not only talk about that, but demonstrate how that works.
Trott: I don’t know if it’s much of a misconception or just a lack of awareness, but I’ll talk with a student that has a desire to someday run for office, and that’s great, but they don’t have a plan. So I always challenge the students to say, well, what’s your plan A, what’s your plan B, and what’s your plan C?
Q: What does the American government need from young people today?
Payne: These are unusual times — not the kinds of times that we experienced when we were in college. And they’re unusual in the sense that the Constitution of the United States, in many ways, is being violated. It’s incumbent upon young people to understand that they do live in these unusual times. They need to understand that this president is usurping the responsibility of Congress daily, and that Congress is doing very little to push back.
Trott: We have a constitutional crisis brewing right now. And we have an inability, because of the partisanship and polarization in our country, to solve problems. So I guess that my message to the students would be two things: First, you need to be engaged. You can’t take for granted the freedoms that we have today. It’s no longer an option. And second, when you engage, you need to avoid the extremes. We need compromise, which, if you’re on the extremes, you can’t even entertain for a moment.
Q: Do you have any tips for how students can practice that kind of compromise, or any go-to strategies that you learned in your time in Congress?
Payne: I think that it’s really important that people learn to listen more, and particularly listen to people with whom they ordinarily don’t talk and people with whom they disagree.
Trott: When you’re talking, you’re not listening, and when you’re not listening, you’re not learning. Talk less. And second — it’s hard for a young person to hear this — don’t be so confident. You know, I have grave issues with Donald Trump. He’s fundamentally unfit to be president. But listening to his speech a few weeks ago, I challenged myself to listen and to not be so confident that I’m right about Trump. And people should do that no matter what.
