Affordable higher education, mental health issues and affordable housing were among the issues important to University of New England students, as they listened to the Democratic candidates for the first congressional district debate at the Westbrook campus Wednesday.

Graduate students in social work crafted the questions, which also included energy assistance, combating obesity and jobs.

After the debate, opinions from students varied. Some knew who they plan to vote for. Some didn’t.

Tyler Raymond is a medical student, so he said he’s about $30,000 in debt.

Lowering the cost of a college education is crucial to him, so future students won’t have to pay as much as he will. Both Adam Cote and Mark Lawrence appealed to him, because they were able to draw upon past experiences when it came to the issues. Cote served in Iraq, and Lawrence is a District Attorney for York County.

Jessica Peck, a masters student in social work, said Section 8 housing and cuts in the mental health system are crucial matters to her as she prepares to go out into the field.

She found Ethan Strimling appealing because he has experience in the field, and said he’s the one she favors in the election. Strimling works with at-risk kids and low income families. She didn’t like Michael Brennan’s proposal to eliminate the mental health consent decree – that’s what helps a lot of the mentally ill, she said. She won’t be voting for him.

Jen White, also a masters student in social work, favored Brennan, a licensed social worker. While she said other candidates skirted around some of the topics, “He really gets to the guts of a lot of issues.”

For Heather Griffin, mental health, low income housing and affordable health care were key, as she prepares to get a job in social work. She hasn’t picked a favorite candidate yet.

The candidates had different responses when it came to funding mental health programs. Strimling said it is simply a matter of restoring the funding to bring comfort to families. Chellie Pingree also noted the need for federal funding, because there’s not enough in the state budget.

Brennan suggested the consent decree be repealed, which he said took many out of mental health hospitals and some ended up in the jails and prisons.

“We’re trying to manage a system on a court order,” he said.

Cote also noted the increase of the mentally ill being involved in crime. Lawrence referenced the program he started as York County District Attorney, which helped those in the system get community care instead of ending up in the jail.

The candidates sound off on: Obesity

Chellie Pingree: Obesity is a metaphor of what’s going on in our country. We need our culture to encourage wellness.

Ethan Strimling: Obesity affects children, and is also an economic issue.

Michael Brennan: Hunger in Maine has gone up dramatically. We can’t expect people to make good choices if they can’t afford good food.

Adam Cote: It comes down to eating well and exercising. We’re cutting some of the most critical programs.

Mark Lawrence: The country has gone from eating whole foods to processed foods. We need to look at what the government itself has done. Are we giving kids peanut butter that’s just peanuts and water, or is it loaded with sugar?

Stephen Meister: In schools, get rid of a la carte menus. The standard school lunch is healthy. I blame cable television.