Wichita State News: Debate

Debates are opportunity to sway undecided voters

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:00:00 CST

This WSU Newsline Podcast is available at http://www.wichita.edu/newslinepodcast. See the transcript below:

You're listening to the podcast edition of the Wichita State University audio newsline. Learn more about WSU on the Web at wichita.edu.

Get ready for an all-out brawl in several battleground states as President Obama and Mitt Romney try to woo voters during the presidential debates. While debates aren't constitutionally mandated, they are often considered part of the election process. Jeff Jarman, director of debate at Wichita State University, says the question nowadays isn't whether to debate, but how much?

Jarman: "The question now is not will there be debates, but how many debates? Challengers always want to debate and incumbents who are strong always want to limit the number of debates. But any candidate who tried not to debate, especially in a presidential campaign, would face serious repercussions from the public."

Jarman says the presidential debate format is significantly different this year.

Jarman: "They've changed the format this year to have extended discussions on more limited topics. So we'll see six 15-minute discussions to try to give the candidates a better opportunity to discuss important issues. The economy is so complicated. You can't fix the economy in 90 seconds, and the debates have adjusted for that."

The new debate format will help voters who watch the debates, according to Jarman.

Jarman: "The extended discussion and the longer format will give voters a real opportunity to see the differences between the candidates. They have more time to explain true differences in their approaches, and that will benefit voters who watch the debates."

Of course, regardless of the debate format, most partisans will claim their candidate won the debate, as Jarman explains.

Jarman: "Some caution is in order. Partisans, who make up the vast majority of viewers and voters, still overwhelmingly select their candidate as winning the debate, even when they have more extended time for discussion."

Jarman says undecided voters may be few in number, but they can make a big difference in the outcome of the election. That is one reason why the presidential debates are particularly important.

Jarman: "So, even though undecided voters make up a small portion of the electorate, in our close elections where there are several key states those undecided voters can make a big difference in the outcome of the election."

According to Jarman, there are advantages and disadvantages for the incumbent in presidential debates.

Jarman: "For the incumbent, there really are benefits and detriments to being in the office for the last four years. On the one hand, they have four years worth of achievements they can point to. On the other hand, they have four years worth of policies that their challengers can go after in the debates."

And it's a good bet that there will be some memorable lines coming out of the debates.

Jarman: "Well, you can count on the fact that there will be memorable lines in these debates. The problem for the candidates is they don't know which ones those will be before the debates happen. That's why they work so hard to prepare every line in these debates, so that whichever one turns out to be the famous line, it will be delivered the way they want it delivered."

Debates are broadcast live on television and radio. The first debate for the 1960 election drew more than 66 million viewers out of 179 million, making it one of the most watched broadcasts in U.S. television history.

Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for Wichita State University.

WSU debate team makes it to Elite 8 of national tournament

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 03:26:00 CST

Wichita State University seniors Brian Box and Matt Munday have completed the most successful season for WSU Debate since 1968.

They competed at the National Debate Tournament March 29-April 2 at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. The top 78 two-person teams compete at the tournament.

The Wichita State team made it to the Elite 8, before losing to Gonzaga. They had a preliminary round record of 5-3 and were the 29th seed. They upset Georgetown in the round of 32 and beat the University of Georgia in the Sweet 16.

The quarterfinals appearance was the first time WSU has made it to the last day of competition since 1968 and only the second time to qualify for the elimination debates since that time.

A week earlier Box teamed with Creighton Coleman to advance to the Sweet 16 at the National Championship Tournament of the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA). Box was the top speaker at the tournament. Coleman was 18th.

Box and Munday were named to CEDA's All-American debate team (top 30 individual debaters).

Several students also qualified for the National Debate Scholars.

Munday received a summa cum laude recognition (3.75 or higher GPA). Debate team member Olivia Sullivan received a magna cum laude recognition (3.5 or higher GPA). Coleman received a cum laude recognition (3.25 or higher GPA). And Box received honorable mention (3.0 or higher GPA).

WSU Foundation announces largest debate scholarship

Fri, 7 Jan 2011 10:38:00 CST

At a news conference today (Friday, Jan. 7), Gov. Mark Parkinson announced that he and his wife, Stacy, have established a scholarship for the Wichita State University debate program — the largest scholarship dedicated to debate in the WSU Elliott School of Communication.

"Participating in the debate program at Wichita State was one of the highlights of my college career, and it taught me the necessary skills to be successful later in life," said Parkinson '80.

"With this scholarship, Stacy and I are honored to encourage future Shockers to get involved with debate."

'Beneficial experiences'

The Mark and Stacy Parkinson Scholarship in Debate will fund an annual scholarship to cover full tuition and fees for a Kansas resident enrolled full time at WSU in the Elliott School Debate Program.

The recipient will have participated in Kansas high school debate for at least one year, must have and maintain a minimum 'B' average and remain active on and serious about the WSU debate team.

"It is an honor and an inspiration to accept this gift from the governor and first lady for the debate program," said Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO. "The beneficial experiences that Mark encountered at WSU influenced both of them to provide this opportunity to others.

"The spark in Mark's voice as he described the camaraderie among his team members and the mentoring by his coach, John Schunk, was heartwarming," King said.

Schunk attended the announcement today.

"'Giving back' or 'paying it forward,' it doesn't matter what term you use, the Parkinsons are all about improving their communities and making futures better for today's youth," said WSU President Donald Beggs.

"Participation in debate is time consuming, both in terms of the research demands and weekend travel," said Jeff Jarman, WSU director of debate. "No other school in the state has a scholarship of this magnitude for its debate team. It will bring the top debaters in Kansas to WSU and provide them the means to succeed on the team and in the classroom."

Distinguished alumni

Twelve students have competed on the WSU debate team this year. The season runs from September through March.

Parkinson graduated summa cum laude from Wichita State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education, majoring in secondary education-political science. He represented WSU at the National Debate Tournament in 1977 and 1979.

He also was a member of the WSU debate team in 1978. In January 2010, Parkinson was a Distinguished Alumni Speaker.

He will be awarded the 2010 Alumni Achievement Award at the 55th Annual Alumni Awards Banquet on Feb. 3, 2011. He and his wife are WSU Alumni Association Life Members.

Wichita State debate competition prepares students for life

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:37:00 CST

The Wichita State University debate team has faced some of its toughest competition this season and continues to surprise the field.

The squad has competed well at several different debate tournaments including Northwestern University, Georgia State University, Bear Shock (Missouri State University and Wichita State University), Emporia State University and the University of Oklahoma.

At Emporia State, all but one team broke through to elimination rounds.

"We're pretty diligent at working because we all have to contribute," said Tyler Joe, a member of the debate team. "We're such a small squad we can't rely on 20 other people to help us."

The team still has tournaments at the University of North Texas, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Kentucky, districts and the National Debate Tournament.

Real-life skills

On top of competing, debate helps develop and promote beneficial skills for team members.

"Debate is the single most educational activity a student can engage in," said Eric Robinson, graduate student in the Elliott School of Communication and assistant debate coach. "At the highest levels, students can spend as much time and energy as is expended competing in any Division I athletic program."

"Debate, when taken seriously, is like a second major or a full-time job; it becomes your life," he said.

As a debater, a student can hone life skills such as listening and reasoning while staying up to date on current events.

"It helps you stay current on all sorts of events," said Joe. "The amount of information and the speed at which you can process that information is astronomical when you are in debate, especially at the collegiate level."

The Shocker debate squad consists of 10 members and requires everyone's efforts to be successful.

"You're going to get a lot more hands-on experience here," said Joe. "We have a pretty tight-knit squad."

Career development

Joe said debate has helped him develop better study skills for classes.

"It helps me organize my thoughts and put all of these practical things I've learned through debate into practice," he said.

Robinson agrees that debate can help students in college or their future job.

"The process of researching a very broad range of topics, cultivating listening skills, thinking about issues from multiple perspectives and building the character to deal with both wins and losses is unique to the format of debate," he said.

Joe said the debate team is preparing him for his future career, hopefully law, in addition to setting him up for success for the rest of his life.

"It's shaped my career goals and where I'm going to take myself in the future," said Joe. "I want to go to law school and become a lawyer, and debate helps me apply those skills to my future career."

The debate season runs from September 2010 through April 2011.

For more information on Wichita State debate, contact Jeffrey Jarman at 978-6075 or jeffrey.jarman@wichita.edu.

Shocker debate team sees early success in fall 2010 season

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 09:23:00 CST

The Wichita State University debate team is off to a good start this fall and is looking for continued success as the fall season progresses.

The team just returned from Northwestern University, where 144 teams entered the tournament.

WSU's team of Matt Munday and Tom Garvey earned a winning record (5-3). They barely missed advancing to single-elimination debates, but their record ties the best by a WSU team at the tournament in 15 years.

The team of Brian Box and Creighton Coleman were 4-4.

Next up for the debate team is a tournament Saturday through Monday, Oct. 16-18, at Emporia State University. WSU is sending five teams and looking to defend its championship from last year, when Box and Eric Robinson won the Open division.

Shocker debate team starts season with win

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:51:31 CST

The Wichita State University debate team started its season off with a first place finish at its first tournament.

Senior Eric Robinson and junior Brian Box earned first place at the University of Northern Iowa, defeating Emporia State University in the final round on a 3-0 decision. They defeated Northwestern University 3-0 in the semifinals and were 6-2 in the preliminary debates.

This is the second year Robinson has won this tournament.
WSU sophomores Creighton Coleman and Matt Munday posted a 5-3 preliminary record, defeating Macalester College in the octafinals before losing to Emporia State in the quarterfinals.

The freshman team of Tom Garvey and Tyler Joe also competed at the tournament, earning their first two college debate wins. They were among the only two first-year debaters competing in the open division of the tournament.

Two WSU debate teams qualify for national tournament

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:10:16 CST

The Wichita State University debate teams of Eric Robinson and Matt Coleman, and Patrick Rinker and Brian Box, have earned coveted invitations to the 2009 National Debate Tournament (NDT) being held March 26-30 at the University of Texas.

It has been about 10 years since WSU has qualified two teams to the national tournament, and it's only the third time in more than 60 years.

Only 78 teams – 10 percent of all the teams that debate across the country – are invited to the prestigious tournament.

Senior Matt Coleman will make his fourth appearance at the tournament.

Only a few students from across the country attend the NDT four times, and Coleman will join an elite company of college debaters who have accomplished this feat.

Coleman and Robinson's current debate record is 53-12, an 81 percent winning record.

Rinker and Box posted a 6-2 record at the district qualifying tournament to earn their spot.

Wichita State debate team has strong national showing

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:36:50 CST

The Wichita State University debate team competed successfully in its first major national debate during the weekend of Nov. 15-16.

In a competition at Wake Forest University, the team of Matt Coleman and Eric Robinson qualified for the elimination rounds after posting a 5-1 record in the preliminary rounds.

With nearly 150 teams in the competition, the team from WSU earned the 16th seed and was one of 32 teams to advance to the single-elimination bracket.

The team lost in a 2-1 decision to Harvard University in the first elimination debate.

Jeff Jarman

Debate coach Jeff Jarman said, despite the loss, he couldn't be happier with the team's results.

"We were thrilled to do this well," he said. "We knew that our team was good, but this was our first showing at a national tournament. It's nice to confirm what we thought we knew, which is that we're nationally competitive."

The debate team has a break in competition until early January, when it will travel to the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Dallas.

Student debate team wins first debate of the semester

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:55:17 CST

In their first tournament of the fall 2008 semester, the Wichita State debate team recorded a first-place finish.

The debate was held in September at the University of Northern Iowa.

WSU's top team of Matt Coleman and Eric Robinson won the Open division.

They were undefeated (8-0) in the preliminary debate and won every ballot in the elimination rounds, beating the University of Kansas, the University of Minnesota and Concordia College throughout the entire competition.

The topic was the reform of agricultural subsidies in the United States.

Out of nearly 50 people, Coleman was named the top speaker of the weekend, and Robinson placed sixth.

Patrick Rinker and Brian Box qualified for the elimination rounds with a 5-3 preliminary record.

The team beat Concordia College in the round of 16 and lost to the University of Texas-San Antonio in the quarterfinals.

First-year debaters Matt Munday and Creighton Coleman also competed in the Open division, earning three wins at their first college tournament.

Wichita State debate team finishes on top

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:51:05 CST

The Wichita State University student debate team of Matt Coleman and Eric Robinson took first place in the open division at its first tournament of the semester Sept. 20-21.

Three teams traveled to the University of Northern Iowa to compete, and Coleman and Robinson went undefeated in eight rounds of preliminary debate. They didn't lose a single ballot in the elimination rounds.

The pair defeated the University of Kansas in the finals, the University of Minnesota in the semifinals, and Concordia College in the quarterfinals. Coleman finished first and Robinson finished sixth out of almost 50 debaters.

Patrick Rinker and Brian Box qualified for the elimination rounds with a 5-3 preliminary record, defeating Concordia College in the 16th round and losing to the University of Texas at San Antonio in the quarterfinals.

First-year debaters Matt Munday and Creighton Coleman also competed in the open division and earned three wins at their first college tournament.

The debate topic was the reform of agricultural subsidies in the U.S. WSU's debate team is led by Jeffrey Jarman, director of speech and debate and associate director of the Elliott School of Communication.

The WSU team is set to host the Moorhouse Debate Tournament on campus Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 27-28, and Monday, Sept. 29 at the Best Western Wichita North before traveling to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the following weekend.

National debate tourney bringing 200 teams to WSU

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:03:09 CST

Wichita State University will play host this spring to the National Championship Tournament of the Cross Examination Debate Association.

Jeffrey Jarman

The tournament is the largest policy debate tournament in the country. About 200 college teams will compete, and more than 500 people are expected to attend.

The last time WSU hosted CEDA Nationals was in 1997. WSU also hosted the tournament in 1986.

This year's event will focus on U.S. constructive engagement with Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon and/or the Palestinian Authority.

Eight preliminary debates will be held Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22. Following will be single elimination debates Sunday, March 23, and Monday, March 24. The final round will be held at about 9 p.m. Monday, March 24.

Debates Friday-Sunday will be on the WSU campus. Elimination rounds on Monday will be at the Wichita Marriott.

Two awards ceremonies will recognize the accomplishments of students, coaches and alumni. The first is scheduled for Thursday, March 20. The second is set for Sunday, March 23.

Wichita and Kansas have a strong track record at the high school and collegiate ranks in training students to compete successfully in speech and debate at the highest levels.

WSU's debate team was ranked No. 9 in the nation in December and continues to come up with impressive results.

Jeffrey Jarman, Elliott School of Communication assistant professor and director of speech and debate, leads WSU's debate team.

Susan Huxman, director of the Elliott School, said she is pleased with WSU's results and the opportunity to host such a prestigious event.

"It requires first that the host university be a serious contender on the national stage," Huxman said. "WSU debate has been strong for many years, especially the past five. It's really amazing the amount of research, reasoning and presentation polish that go into preparation for national debate competitions. Debate teaches the building blocks of a liberal arts education and is consistent with the mission of WSU to groom articulate citizens for our times."

WSU debaters easily qualify to 2008 national championships

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:19:58 CST

The Wichita State University student debate team of Matt Coleman and Eric Robinson earned an automatic bid to the 2008 National Championship Tournament of the Cross Examination Debate Association during a competition held in late February.

Coleman has become only the second WSU debater in the past 30 years to qualify three times to the national debate tournament, scheduled for March 21-24 at WSU.

With six wins and two losses, the team claimed the 5th seed. In addition, Coleman was named the 5th speaker – out of nearly 50 – at the tournament.

The WSU team of Patrick Rinker and Zach Brown also competed at the competition. With only three wins, the team did not earn an automatic bid to nationals. But they have an overall winning percentage high enough to merit consideration for an at-large bid. That announcement will be made in two weeks.

WSU earned its third straight bid to the national tournament and second consecutive bid through the district tournament.