More than 300 students squeezed into McGuinn 121 on the evening of October 23 to attend “The Financial Crisis Forum,” an event sponsored by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College in collaboration with the deans’ offices of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Carroll School of Management. Peter Ireland and Robert Murphy of the economics department, Kay Schlozman of the political science department, and finance professor Philip Strahan offered views on the causes of the recent financial meltdown, government responses, implications for the upcoming election, and future economic prospects. “Students asked whether the crisis will change prevailing views of how our market economy works,” said Murphy. “They seemed to be asking ‘Is capitalism dead?'” They also expressed concern that the government’s response addressed needs of large financial institutions but not those of homeowners, and some wanted to know how the crisis would affect their job prospects. “It was exhilarating to see McGuinn 121 packed to the rafters,” said David Quigley, interim dean of A&S and moderator of the panel. “Clearly, students are hungry to take on some of the public policy questions before the American public and to think them through with faculty.”