Prominent leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy and others have channeled their deeply rooted beliefs to the public through their brilliant skills in debate. Such a gift of being able to voice opinions and being able to argue them can be attained through academic organizations such as speech and debate, which can condition one’s ability to speak well.
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The speech and debate team at UCSD aims, according to their Web site, to “”improve the public speaking, critical thinking, argumentation skills and the self confidence of its members and to help promote these skills throughout the university.””
Closely similar to speech and debate in high school, this UCSD academic organization consists of Parliamentary debate teams and speech teams, which branch out into improvised speech, interpretation of poetry and other limited preparation events.
Individual teams in UCSD Speech and Debate have been ranked 35th nationwide and have won numerous awards, notably this past 2002-03 season with teams placing in finals at the Fresno, Azusa Pacific and CSU Northridge invitationals.
In parliamentary debate, many political issues are argued, taking heed of considering both sides of the issue. Some issues debated in the past include the U.S. government’s funding of stem cell research, national missile defense and this past season’s hot topic of the war in Iraq.
UCSD Speech and Debate is a fairly new team, officially competing in 1992 while the current team start out in 1999 with just five members. Yet in the next few years, the team expanded with its natural momentum.
“”We’ve been competing for about four years, and at that time we were student run,”” said Danny Cantrell, Thurgood Marshall College senior and president of the team. “”It was a real pleasant atmosphere because we all taught each other.””
The team blossomed from a single team to six parliamentary debate teams during the 2001 season after the novice and JV teams placed second in Modesto, Calif., and third in Point Loma.
For many members, being on the team has sparked ambition, and prepares them for their futures.
“”I think the reason why I want to go to law school is because I do debate,”” said member and Marshall freshman Abigail Milton. “”I think most of the people on the team now want to go to law school, and I believe law schools look at [debate on your record]. We’ve had instances when you see debaters set out for jobs where they specifically look for debate, and a lot of it is for [careers in] business, diplomacy and public policy.””
For many students, joining the debate team may seem not only intimidating, but time consuming as well. But the benefits that arise from practicing debate are said to be worth it.
“”I definitely think that debate is a worthwhile activity. It improves your communication skills, argumentation skills and quick thinking, which are key throughout life and are all needed in the business world,”” Cantrell said.
Many of today’s youth can be highly opinionated, ranging from clashing political stances to the rights of ethnic groups. Having an opinion is one thing, but being able to express it with power and in a vibrant tone is another.
“”In terms of being able to articulate yourself, speaking your opinion and arguing logically, I believe it applies to just about everything you do,”” said Eleanor Roosevelt College freshman Raj Kumar.
Regarding the differences between high school debate and debate here in UCSD, Kumar said, “”I didn’t like one more than the other, it just had different demands. Here it’s not a question of outdoing anybody, it’s more of a question of helping out the team and in that way, it’s actually better.””
Cantrell noted that despite the tense arena of college debate, it maintains its sociable side.
“”It’s a little bit more competitive, but it’s also more laid back at the same time. We’re mainly there to have a good time,”” Cantrell said.
Most tournaments are held over the weekend, usually on Saturdays and Sundays.
“”The atmosphere is pretty ‘kick back at the tournaments,”” Milton said. “”It all depends on how well you’re doing, and how well you want to do. Everyone is so tense, you just want [team members] to win, and then the decision comes.””
However, there have been certain drawbacks for the team, resulting from the lack of funding from the vice chancellor of students affairs and the Associated Students. Participation in tournaments is not free, and some come with a hefty price tag in order to pay judging fees. The majority of fees accumulated from the Associated Students are used to pay for the tournaments the team attends, and the rest comes from their own pockets.
“”We definitely make do with the funding we receive. It helps us compete,”” Cantrell said. “”However, we’re competing against schools that are well-funded and also have a paid faculty coach.””
In national tournaments, hotel and transportation fees are to be considered as well, creating additional costs for competition. Cantrell said that for Nationals this season, the total cost was about $3,000, and the Associated Students contributed $450 for the trip. This in turn required each team member to spend $300 in order to attend. Cantrell also noted that limited funding equals limited numbers of people to take to the tournaments.
For team members, higher funding benefits the team overall.
“”There is a direct correlation between funding and success. The more tournaments we’re able to compete at, the better we get. The more experience we get, the better we’re able to compete,”” Cantrell said.
According to team members, the reason why funding is limited is because nearly all of the tournaments they attend are held off campus and that the Associated Students gives sparingly to organizations that primarily participate in events that are not held on campus. In order to help pay for these tournaments, the team conducts fundraisers and judge for high school tournaments in Orange County. Members of UCSD Speech and Debate feel that funding is essential to the success of their team, as it is a competing team that characterizes UCSD to other colleges.
“”They don’t necessarily feel the need to fund us, even though we are representing UCSD nationally in a competitive, academic activity, which we think is definitely a big, representation of the school,”” Cantrell said.
Despite such shortcomings, the team is open to anyone with the zeal to debate.
“”There are no tryouts, just come with interest,”” Cantrell said. “”If you are dedicated to compete, you can.””
