MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee State University
Blue Raider Debate team has started off their season with a rhetorical bang.
The group of 40
students, who participate in both on- and off-campus competitions, is the
largest to date in the debate team’s history.
“It is extremely
large considering our modest budget. It is also large compared to similar-sized
institutions,” said Dr. Patrick Richey, director of forensics and debate team
coach.
During recent
weekends, Blue Raider Debate has fared extremely in well on the road, traveling
to the University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss) for the Hub City Swing
and also to Walters State Community College for the 13th annual
Smoky Mountain Classic.
During the Hub
City Swing, the debate team participated in International Public Debate
Association (IPDA), Team International Public Debate Association (TIPDA) and
National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) debate formats.
MTSU
defeated TCU in the NPDA format, with freshman Chris Cowherd and debater Michael
Tant taking top honors. Sophomore Jordan Nickell took top honors in the IPDA
format with a 3-0 victory over the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Cowherd
and Tant along with the team of seniors Abigail Barnes and Kiera Jackson led
Blue Raider Debate to semifinal wins over Northeast Louisiana and Mississippi
State University in the TIPDA format.
During
the Smoky Mountain Classic MTSU took home the second place sweepstakes award,
falling just two points behind Berea College.
The
team also won many individual speaker awards, such as the beginning speaker
awards for juniors Kryslin Williams and Bridget Cadmus.
Nickell,
junior Skye Irish, and sophomore Breyhana Johnson were also some of the
standouts for the event.
And
just this past weekend, the team captured third the third place sweepstakes
award at Union University Bulldog Classic in Jackson, Tennessee.
The
impressive start has made Richey very proud of the team’s progress.
“I’m
very proud of the squad. It has bonded and learned fast. Our seniors have been
outstanding and alumni have come back to help, which shows a depth of
commitment,” he said.
With
two events down, Richey said the team will look to travel to two or three more
events while actively participating in on-campus events such as the “Think
Before You Vote” mock presidential debate event, which will be held at 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 20, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace
Building.
The
event will feature a discussion among three top student debaters who will
portray three contenders for the White House. A moderator will pose questions
to students playing the roles of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Republican
nominee Donald Trump and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson while attempting to
avoid referring to tabloid topics or personal attacks.
Even
though the debate team has been overwhelmingly successful thus far, Richey
stated his goal for the team was still the same.
“We
always aim to show MTSU in a positive national light. … Our ultimate goal is
having better and more informed students who master the art of critical
thinking,” he said.
For
more information on Blue Raider Debate, contact Richey at 615-898-2273 or visit
the team’s official website, http://www.mtsu.edu/debate.
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