As the race for the White House enters the final stretch, the West Virginia University Young Democrats and College Republicans are preparing to square off in their first and only debate of the election season.

The one-hour confrontationsponsored by the WVU Diversity in Media Association and U92 , WVUs campus radio stationgets under way at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25, in G24 Eiesland Hall.

With less than two weeks until Election Day, DIMA President Robert Enos said it is important to cut through the campaign rhetoric and take a hard look at the issues.

The importance of the debate is that it opens up the minds of the candidates to the students,he said.During the actual (presidential) debates, candidates would try to dodge every single question. What were trying to do is get some answers.

The debate will cover a variety of issues important to West Virginia, Enos noted, including foreign policy and the war in Iraq, clean coal and strip mining.

A panel of four nonpartisan members will serve as moderators and choose which questions will be asked from a group of students planning to attend the debate.

The debate format is as follows: A moderator will ask a question, a representative from one of the two student organizations is allowed two minutes to answer, and the opposing side then has a minute to offer a rebuttal. The moderator has the discretion to extend the discussion.

Panelists will be Enos, a broadcast news major; Christina Horton, a broadcast news major and DIMA officer; Robin Johnson, an advertising major who works in promotions for U92 ; and Shaun Posey, a sociology and anthropology major and host of U92 s political talk showFeedback.

For more information, contact Enos at 304-376-4348.