July 20, 2015
MARSHALL NEWS MESSENGER (7/18/15) - Domestic surveillance by the government in the U.S. is a hot topic of late, so it was no surprise it turned up on the list of topics to be debated on Friday during the annual Texas Speech and Debate Camp at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall.
More than 200 high school students from across the state spent the week at the university honing their debate skills or learning the craft for the first time.
"This is our third year at ETBU and our fourth to have the camp," Director Nicole Cornish said Friday. "They have been in classes and practice sessions with our staff, which is made up of college students in debate, high school debate and speech teachers and college teachers."
Cornish said some students are repeat attendees while others are trying out speech and debate for the first time.
"We had 74 campers last year and 204 this year, so it has definitely grown tremendously," Cornish said. "The camp has been very successful. Last year's 3A and 4A state champions came from this camp as well as last year's silver medalist."
She said campers practice research and live debate all week.
"Some are just starting out and getting that foundation while others are improving their skills," Cornish said. "Debate gives amazing skills like research, articulation and critical thinking. I hear so many times about how debate made college easier for students."
The students learn their debate topics ahead of time and are allowed time to research their "affirmative" or "negative" stance. The "affirmative" team argues for the issue while the "opposition" team argues against.
"They are given a very short amount of time to research and figure out what they are going to say and how they are going to say it," Cornish said.
Whitesboro camper Jose Aguirre and his debate partner Eric Ralston said the camp has taught them much but it's been a trial.
"The debates are exhausting," Eric, a junior, said.
"They last about an hour and a half. They state their side, we are the neg(ative) and state our side and then we go back and forth."
Jose said he spent about three and a half hours researching the topic of domestic surveillance in the U.S. and had to anticipate the other team's arguing points in order to come up with his own rebuttals.
"We just have to get more and more research to make a case when we go up against them," Jose said.
The campers spent all day Friday holding debates around the campus before they are to pack up and leave today.
(Used by permission www.marshallnewsmessnger.com, story MNM reporter Bridgett Ortigo)