Northwestern State University of Louisiana houses a variety of different recognized student organizations, one of many is the Speech and Debate Team.
The Speech and Debate team at NSU focuses on members developing speaking and research abilities through debates and competitions. Their goal is to give members real life experiences and communication skills to apply to their future careers.
“The style of debate that we do is called IPDA (International Public Debate Association); it’s an international organization that is trying to develop speaking skills first and research skills second,” Dorian E. Eaton, a communication professor at NSU and coach of the team since 2018, said.
The team is funded through an endowment fund and the Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts.
“It helps anyone that has any type of career where they plan on communicating with other people, so it helps with their confidence,” Eaton said.
The Speech and Debate Team is ideal for those wanting to increase their communication skills and build their confidence especially for those with speech impediments or people whose second language is English, Eaton said.
“It’s not about winning so much as it is about giving students the tools to be successful in whatever they want to do, and to be a successful individual you need to communicate effectively,” Eaton said.
Members of the team explained the impact Speech and Debate has had on them.
“I recommend people to join the Speech and Debate team for the same reason I joined; it built
my confidence and introduced me to a new demographic of people,” Phillip Parker, a senior history major and returning team member, said.
Membership is open to any active student enrolled at NSU. Practices occur every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in John S. Kyser Hall room 337 and on Thursdays before tournaments at the same time.
The practice process ranges from performing various mock rounds during which the team selects a random topic to debate to just analyzing debates online. During the actual tournaments, each debater picks from five topics, cross eliminates each one off and debates in front of a small crowd and a judge.
The team competes in different places and states such as Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. This is a good and budget friendly opportunity for college students to travel and get out of their comfort zone, Parker said.
Joining this team opens new opportunities and connections for students to grow as professionals, Eaton and members expressed.
“I wanted to put this skill under my bill,” Teldrick Cooper, a junior communication major, said. Cooper has been a part of this team since his freshman year.
The Speech and Debate team is currently seeking new members and will be hosting an interest meeting on Sept. 24 at 3:30 p.m. in Kyser Hall room 225.
