by Peter Johansen
Political instability in Ivory Coast. Campus union negotiations. Repeal of Canada’s prostitution laws. If it has to do with politics, Jason Gowler and Luke Smith are keen to explore it, and share what they find with the world.
The political junkies host “Raven’s Eye,” a political discussion every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. on Carleton radio station CKCU-FM. The program is also archived at ravenseye.yolasite.com.
Their special twist? An unabashed student perspective. The co-hosts, both second-year Political Science majors, interview Carleton students knowledgeable about the weekly topics. If they can’t find a suitable guest, they bounce ideas off each other.
“It took a while to come up with the format, frankly,” admits Luke, who moved to Canada from Wales with his family in 2006. “We tried several ideas, but essentially we thought that talking to students would be a brilliant way of bringing issues to life.”
President Roseann Runte was an inspiration, he adds: “She once suggested using more technology to give students a voice, and we see the program as doing that.”
The show can, arguably, trace its roots to the Mississauga high school where Jason caught the radio bug. When he joined Carleton, he approached CKCU and did a couple of sample episodes, but didn’t like having no one to play off of.
When Luke came on as a guest, however, the “great chemistry” led to co-hosting duties, Jason says. “Luke has really become the main guy on the show. He’s really the one who put it into overdrive.”
The two seem to complement each other in other ways, too. Luke’s primary interest lies in Europe and Africa, while Jason is attracted to the U.S. and China. Jason isn’t afraid of controversy, pushing his guests about their beliefs; Luke takes a more diplomatic approach.
Radio isn’t their only interest. Luke does community outreach for the campus GLBTQ Centre, helping it connect with outside organizations, and he chairs a monthly get-together of post-secondary gay and lesbian centres across Ottawa. Jason hosts Wednesday trivia night at Mike’s Place and is active in Carleton’s Model United Nations Club, participating in simulations at such schools as Harvard and Queen’s. He’s twice been named outstanding delegate at York University’s annual model UN weekend.
“It’s really important to have diversified experiences as a student,” Luke explains.