Pioneer Debate hosted the first annual "Meats & Mayhem" last week! The event was kicked off with a debate and ended with a barbecue full of great food and great discussion around the topic at hand - Should the United States Presidential election process should be significantly reformed.
Alena Gray, freshman Biology Major who argued on the Affirmative side with Rebekah Hypes, Junior Criminal Justice Major. Sandra Crites (Junior Education Major) and Daniel Nichols (Freshman Undecided) argued on the Negative side for the event's resolution: The United States Presidential election process should be significantly reformed. The affirmative won the day, but their opponents put up a strong counterargument. Hamburgers and hot dogs were grilled up by Drs. Jeffrey Bryson and Donal Hardin.
"Something about debate that I really love is the payoff. When it came to my first debate in front of an audience, I was nervous, no doubt. But I knew going into it I had a strong argument that people would relate to," said Alena Gray while reflecting on her victory. "I learned a lot about my topic and gained a great understanding of my stance. When it came time to defend it, the work I put in showed."
When asked about the event ,Dr. Johnston, Assistant Professor of Communication, Director and Coach stated "Pioneer Debate's campus activities highlight one of our top values, Public Health. Good arguments and civil listening are more important than ever for our communities, and I'm proud of our team for doing its part in contributing their time and talent in service to that value."
Pioneer Debate is a co-curricular activity in the Department of Language and Literature and its membership is open to all students on campus, with no experience necessary. They compete in the National Educational Debate Association competitive conference. The team's remaining tournaments for the fall semester include an open invitation to new debaters for our Saturday, November 2 online tournament and our travel tournament to the University of Dayton, November 15-16.
Contact Dr. Johnston if you want to learn more about the team and get involved.
