Marie Whitney and Kate Griffin
During spring break, the Ferris State debate team traveled to St. Louis, Missouri for Debate Nationals. The 100th Anniversary Celebration for Pi Kappa Delta, the Debate and Forensics Honor Society also took place. The debate team competed in two forms of debate, parliamentary and public forum. For parliamentary debate, the topic is released twenty minutes before each round. Teams consisting of two people are given a side in which to debate: either affirmative, or negative. For public forum, the team also consist of two team members. The topic is given before the debate, so evidence can be used in round.
Dylan Carpenter and Katie DeCare
This year’s public forum topic was “drones”, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles. Drones are used typically in the military that can either be used for surveillance or for carrying weapons. Cameras and visual sensors are installed for targeting. Honors students Marie Whitney (Sophomore, Communications) and Kate Griffin (Sophomore, Pre-Pharmacy) had a 4-2 record in parliamentary debate, qualifying to compete in out rounds, where they took 4th place overall in the tournament. Marie and Kate had a 3-1 record in public forum, earning an Excellence Award. Honors students Dylan Carpenter (Freshman, Psychology) and Katie DeCare (Freshman, Pre-Veterinary Medicine) had a 2-2 record in public forum. The Ferris State debate team, as a whole, earned a Sweepstakes Award for Excellence at nationals. T.J. Lakin is the debate coach and director of forensics at Ferris State University.
Article submitted by Kate Griffin, Vice –President of the Ferris State debate team.
The Endeavor 