By Olga Mosiychuk
Stuffy old men, move aside: competitive debate is full of some of the best speakers you'll find on college campuses.
Last weekend, UP's Speech and Debate Club was among 28 collegiate teams competing at Lewis and Clark College in "The Pioneer Invitational, " a forensics tournament that included individual speaking events as well as debate competition.
The 10 University of Portland debaters won exactly half of their debates. Among them were two debate quarter finalists, juniors Megan Osborne and Amber Larson, and two individual finalists, freshman Jordan Mehl and senior Thai Nguyen.
Mehl received Third Place in the Novice Impromptu Speaking category. Debaters competing in this event go into a room with five other speakers and are given numbers. They have to choose one quote and write a speech about it in two minutes or less. Each competitor must then give a five minute speech, including an introduction, three points, analysis and a conclusion.
Nguyen received Second Place in the Best Speaker category (Junior Level), beating out 40 other debaters. Osborne and Larson went on to compete in the quarter finals.
Communication studies professor Bohn Lattin, the club's adviser, is happy with the results of last weekend's debate.
Lattin recognizes the importance of the art of public speaking, and created UP's Speech and Debate Club in order to train students to become more effective public speakers.
"This gives students the experience they need," he said. "Like any activity, the more you practice, the better it will become."
UP team members come from a variety academic backgrounds.
"We have students from nursing, business, engineering and the College of the Arts and Sciences," he said. "It's not just a communication studies event."
This is senior Tyler Tate's second year on UP's Debate Team. Tate is a math and philosophy double-major.
"It's actually lots of fun," said Tate. "Debate forces you to think quickly."
Tate plans to use the rhetorical skills that he has gained through this experience and combine them with his interest and expertise mathematics.
"You learn to communicate so that people actually understand what you are trying to say," said Tate. "The math world and the communication world go hand-in-hand."
Mehl, who is a freshman communication studies major, agrees that debate increases his communicational competence.
"I was on debate team for all four years of high school," said Mehl. "This is a different style of debate, but I think I will do well on this team."
Mehl is thinking about joining the Peace Corps after getting his undergraduate degree at UP, and may even go to law school.
"Yeah, debate team will definitely help me if I decide to become a lawyer," Mehl said.
Lattin noted that, along with increasing their communication and public speaking skills, these students need to have extensive knowledge of current events in order to prepare for debate tournaments like these. This year's repertoire includes topics ranging from the "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gays in the military to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the war in Afghanistan.
"Students must pull research together and keep up on current events," said Lattin. "They have to be ready when the topic is announced."
The topics are read to debaters 20 minutes prior to the debate, and competitors have that time to formulate their arguments.
"Talk about learning how to work under pressure," said Lattin. "Yes, you'll learn public speaking by doing this, but the ability to quickly formulate and deliver a message is important in all aspects of life."
Lattin stresses the importance of preparing coherent arguments rapidly in professional life and maintains that students who participate in debate will have the advantage when choosing a career.
"Everybody is looking for an edge," he said. "Debate will give any college student a leg-up."
UP debaters have formal meetings on Monday and Wednesday nights, and spend much of their free time reading and preparing for debates. They earn a credit for their participation in this club. The Speech and Debate Club has several more competitions lined up this year, including the Smelt Classic in Longview, WA next month.
