Forensics team ranked sixth
By Amy Columbo
v*ptv' Dsity Emttttki
Forensics Dios lor Oavid Frank
is impressed with the hard work
and detlit ation displayed In sill
dents of the forensics team
We tend to attract vary hard
working students w ho sometimes
spend more time on debate than
they should." he said
I've replaced my life yyith
debate and classes." longtime
team memlwr I.eyvil Shedd said.
The sacrifice has paid off 1'he
debate component of the Uni
versity s 25 member s|hks h team
is currently rated sixth in the
country, is the top team in the
Pac ifit: Nortfnvest and is the best
debate program in Oregon.
lhe team is ranked by the
National Cross Kxamination
Debate Association, and 250 oth
er colleges and universities across
the United States are included in
the association.
t rank said he is almost reluc
tant to disclose the team's nation
al status,
'I try not to make it too much
of a hig deal about being sixth in
the country." he said "It means
people all of a sudden say to be
a good program, you have to be
nationally ranked. That’s a very
dangerous piece of information
I give it out. and I'm proud of it
but I in also reluctant, because I
know what that i an do "
Most importantly frank said
the makings of a good forensic s
program are, "people who art'
honest and are not so intoxic at
ed hv trophies and so addicted to
competition that they lose trac k
of what they should be learning."
Instead. Frank wants his team,
"to be c aring about their audi
ences. about their team members,
and then to know so muc h about
their topic s that they feel c orn
fortable giving an opinion with
good evidence."
"Then if they don't win, that 's
OK. bee a use they have learned.”
Frank said with a smile
Thu forensics team is an
umbrella team that includes both
individual events and debate
Any student who is in good
standing with the University can
be involved Students enrolled in
the graded two-i redil class, Spe
cud Topics in Forensics 40t> 11,
make up the forensics team. The
r
team attends between 1" and 20
tournaments during the \ear
Team memtmr Isaac Gottesmnn
(jest ribcs debate as "frustrating
vet awkwardly exhilarating " He
said debate is a paradox for him
At times the stress i an be too
much and he hates it. but at oth
er times the adrenaline of i on
quenng the i ompetition is over
whelming. and (kjttesm/iri loves
it
The team recently returned
from the Western Washington
Tournament As a whole the
University was very sou ess hi 1 at
the tournament. bringing home
several trophies, mi lulling set
ond. third and fifth plain team
trophies, as well as four individ
ual debate speaker awards
The difference between us
and other teams is that we do a
lot of outside research," Shedd
said
Shedd estimates that he spends
20 to TO hours a week in the
library researching. Likewise.
Gottesman. said preparation
especially intensifies just before
tournaments. He said he was up
until -i m the morning preparing
before the Washington tourna
ment
Frank said the evolution of
technology has great I \ afforded
the debate world He has been
involved as the director of the
forensii s program at the Univer
sity sim e l‘)Hl and attributes the
power of the on-line library
research database. N F XIS l.l.X
IS. to this transformation
"Some people will go bai k to
their hotel rooms, plug their lap
tops into NKX1S/I.I XIS and
they'll have evidence against the
other team's affirmative case that
is the next day," Frank said "So
they're post-dating each other by
hours sometimes."
Frank said some teams use the
database as their only form of
research, whit It leads to superfi
cial research Me believes NFX
IS/I.FXIS should lie used only to
supplement a student's research
process Books, journal articles
and talks with experts are all
important to understanding,
interpreting and arguing the
debate issue.
"1 would like to see people tie
humane and ethical debaters."
said Stephen Stolp, assistant
dire< tor of forensics I would
like to strive to teat h thorn not to
lie offensive, to speak in front of
a group persuasively, and to
answer arguments directly, hon
ing their critical thinking skills "
Forensics team members rec
ognize the fait that being
involved is an extensive time
commitment But Shedd
described the team as a soi ml
environment as well
Tiles become like extended
family. Shedd Mid lie allrib
ules it to the fa< t that the group
spends so much lime together
(iollestnan said debate is sers
edm ational fur him: in fad. prob
ably more than anything else he
has learned in si hool
"I’ve had mans former students
come luu k and sav that their par
ticipation in forensn s was fun
damental and basic to their pro
fessional achievements," Frank
said
Su< it is the case for Shedd He
originally joined the team in
hopes of becoming more suc
cessful as a lawyer Through par
tu i pat ion in debate, his original
educational goals have i hanged
Shedd now hopes that upon
graduation, ho will be hired for
the position of an assoc late dirts
tor of forensics at a college or uni
versity with a forensit s repute
tion of excellence
The forensics team travels to
several schools across the I 'm!
<•(1 States to seek competition it
has a yearls budget that covers
the i ost of travel. a< commoda
(ions, entrance fees and some
meal expenses Frank said it is
a challenge to budget enough
money to last the duration of the
year.
The team has a fund-raiser at
the end of February and hosts a
high school forensn x competi
tion that brings about non stu
dents to the campus for conipe
tit ion
I itiink ii (forensics) is tint' of
Hit' tow programs on rumpus in
whit h pooplt.< are passionatt'iy
committed to finding good
research about public policy
issues," Frank said And it'sail
activity which encourages peo
ple to argue with great passion
and energy about their positions
You either believe what you are
saving or sit down and shut up
1
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