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Greg Fisher: As a new member, the Speech and Debate Society introduced me to persuasive public speaking; it can and should do the same for other students.
David Bergman: I will first focus on the qualities and skills learned from Speech & Debate, and then demonstrate why these skills are so significant. Debate is important for a university.
1. It prepares the individual for public speaking.
2. It trains the individual to effectively organize ideas and express them in conversation.
3. Debate encourages the individual to keep up with current news.
4. Debate encourages teamwork. Students have to work together to win individual debates. There is certainly teamwork involved in the club itself. One cannot become a better debater through self-improvement alone.
5. It supports communication on controversial issues our society is facing. This further informs students on what is happening in our government, and gives them a position for discussion and persuasion.
6. Much of the debate that does go on in our society is stubborn and strictly sided. Debate (as a club) encourages the teaching of rhetoric, making sure that different viewpoints are treated fairly. Arguments are decided on by content, not by position. This clearly promotes tolerance and acceptance in our society.
I know these six reasons are true, partly because I have experienced them on a personal level, and party because I am watching a student debate this very moment, and see the discussion rich with this kind of content.
Before attending Speech & Debate Club, I was not an effective speaker. Public speaking made me quite nervous in fact. Debate has broken these boundaries and will continue to do so, since I still have much room for improvement.
I would have never considered to argue a position with the aid of a partner. What if they do not agree with me, or are not at the same level of understanding with the topic at hand? I have learned that a debate partner actually has enormous benefits. They might not know as much about Nuclear Power as you do, but they might have a massive wealth of information on the political climate in the Middle East. Though a partner might have a completely different strategy of rhetoric, both of your styles may work wonders together. One team I have witnessed expressing this had a debater argue the facts, while the other focused on the moral consequences in society. The result was extremely effective at persuading audiences. Over time, debate partners share unique relationships between themselves; they often know more about eachother's minds than what their closest friends know. This is teamwork at its finest.
Looking back at what I have learned from Speech and Debate, I would recommend it to anyone wishing to improve themselves for nearly anything. Taking a simple example such as a job interview, you can easily recognize how the skills from Debate would improve one in this situation. Public speaking implies leadership, especially in a society that is more afraid of speaking in front of others than death. It is amazing that the
University does not strongly support a club such as Speech & Debate, which directly focuses on public speaking. The University can change this position, and help build some capable and persuasive leaders for the world's tommorow.
Charlie Quackenbush: Debate has aided me in the honing of critical thing skills as well as proper structures for constructing arguments.
Vitaliy Pradun: Debate made me into a confident public speaker and build my organization skills, although paying for the tournaments out of my pocket proved expensive, especially since costs like these are not formulated into financial aid.
Rebecca Reh: I often hear people say that they are mortified to speak in front of a crowd of people. I will admit that a few years ago I agreed with them. I joined debate with the intention of changing that. I do not intend to become a lawyer, and my field, neurobiology, is not typical of most people involved with debate. However, I feel that learning to present and defend an argument is one of the most important and fundamental skills a person can possess. No matter what you do in life, if you can defend your own views with poise and persistence, you are ahead. You might end up presenting a case in court, writing a scientific grant, or pitching a new idea to your supervisor, but your ability to persuade will always be the key to your success. I have come to view argumentation as a skill on par with writing and math as fundamental to education. Debate has helped me so much in the past few years, and I can only imagine how useful it will become in my life after college. As I became more familiar with debate, I noticed that my ability to structure papers improved, my confidence while presenting a project increased, and my knowledge of political events around the world increased immeasurably. Yet despite debate's academic nature, and the fundamental benefits the activity construes, the team has barely managed to scrap by due to lack of funding from the university. Without steady funding from the university, I cannot see how our team will be able to gain a strong foothold. As it is, we are in constant danger of disintegrating, never sure if we will have money for next year. It is sad times when the University of Washington cannot ensure that it's students will be able to participate in the activity of debate, sadder still if this activity should eventually fade from the campus entirely.
Elizabeth Olson: Debate gives me a place to hang out with people who actually care about intellectual things and who enjoy holding engaging conversations. Going to meets is more fun than any frat party—and it looks better on a resume, woohoo!
Justyn Sanderford: Debate has been such an amazing part of my college experience. As a biology major, I have very little flexibility in which courses I am able to take outside of my major, and unfortunately a lot of my side interests just don't make it into my schedule. Two of the many subjects outside of my major that I am interested in are public policy and foreign affairs. I came to the U with a huge interest in both of these subject areas, and debate has allowed me to educate myself outside of the classroom. We have amazing coaches who have taught me to communicate better and the value of understanding what happens in the world around me. I consider myself very lucky to have stumbled across this program, because everyone involved are hard workers dedicated to the educational experience of debate. We are so dedicated that we pay out of our own pockets travel expenses so that we can attend competitions. I have come into contact with such a diverse group of people that share my interests that I would never have been exposed to if the debate club did not exist. I think it is a shame that such a large university that claims to support all academic pursuits has so far failed to provide the debate team with the long term support that we need in order to survive, both in financial terms and in recognition. I strongly believe that the debate team is a valuable group that benefits the University by producing educated students who contribute more in class and eventually leave the University with a background in debate that will lead them to success in the real world.
Kristina Olson: As a non-political science major, debate is a great place for me to learn about and discuss current events and their implications. I really enjoy debate but sometimes it's difficult to devote time to when it can be expensive, and is totally elective (no credit given).
Lyly Harrington: Debate has intensified my motivation to pursue knowledge wherever it may be. Without this competitive forum, I would not absorb as much from academia as I do now.
Obaid Quatri: Although, I have only recently joined the Debate Club, it is certainly something which I think is rewarding; hence, I plan on continuing. I enjoy the fact that Debate club makes me really think on my feet; I don't believe it's the kind of skill one learns writing essays or doing other various academic activities. Also, the deabtes are pretty much done impromptu (20 minutes of preparation). I also see that experienced members of the Debate Club are quite adept at presenting something clearly given such a short time frame. Currently, it is difficult for me to most articulately present my opinion in such little time, but its a skill I believe that I am slowly developing. Although I am a novice debator, other club members have been very supportive of my goals.
Michael Howard: Debate, to me, is the most demanding and rewarding aspect of my liberal arts education. No other activity or class was as involving. Debaters here at the UW choose to spend their free time thinking about and researching cases, and it has been a great experience to participate with them, growing through the competitive seasons. Classes end, papers are turned in, but UW debaters are writing arguments during their vacations - for fun!
Some say that the adversarial system hurts education, but these people have never seen the comraderie and intelligence of a quality round. Students really do 'shine' under the conditions of competition.
Dominic Lopez: Of all of the available activities I could find at the UW, the Debate team is by far the best choice for a student to invest their time in. There is no comparable activity, competitive or otherwise, that allows students from many different backgrounds and studies to collectively engage in a public discussion of ideas, and the way which those ideas are presented. Working with the Debate team has allowed my ability as a student to coherently render an opinion or thesis to grow by leaps and bounds over the single year I have spent on roster. There is little doubt that such a learning experience could hardly have been achieved in another team, in respect, such a unique education is hard to find in the lecture hall as well. Regardless of the difficulties the UW Debate team faces financially, I am still able to draw much from it, and hopefully contribute just as much as time progresses. It is my hope that during my time on the team we become able to engage in more events across the region so that I may be better able to practice my debate skills and further the competitive brand of UW Debate. It is in our bi-weekly meetings that I have forged many friendships that made possible by the positive nature of this team. I have gained much from them, as I hope they have from me. Our team fosters a one-of-a-kind community dedicated to each other, to teaching each other the very principles we may not have learned on our studies, and passing along the knowledge we have gained to others to further our collective pool. Outside of practice and competition we are friends, but in the fray, we are allies.