The University Forensics team huddles in a circle around a laptop. With a time limit of only 20 minutes, two teammates prepare to debate over teacher protests in Oaxaca, Mexico. Here, the Internet becomes a vital source. Neither teammate knows anything about the subject.
Luckily, none of the other teams do either.
For the first time since 1989, the University Forensics team took the regional title by placing first at the Northwest Forensics Conference, held during the last weekend in January.
This was a big step for the once-little team that has grown from a handful of students to 25. The possibility for a national title seems less out of reach after beating some of the best teams in the country.
“The conference is seen as one of the most competitive debate conferences in the nation, producing eight of the last 10 national finalist debaters over the last two years,” said Aaron Donaldson, University graduate student and co-director of the team.
The ASUO-funded Forensics team dates back to 1876, when the program was founded and consisted of two forensic societies. The once nationally-successful policy debate team was shut down in the spring of last year.
Today, the team competes in five or six tournaments per season, lasting from September through April, three of which count toward their conference score.
“We have a talented team, but it’s always a surprise to win something like this,” Donaldson said. “We have some amazing opportunities to go beyond what our expectations were in the beginning of the year.”
The team members, enrolled in a University forensics course, meet twice a week for scheduled class time, in addition to three hours of practice a week, researching current events and filing newspapers used for research, Donaldson said.
The team participates in Parliamentary debate, which is based on current events; individual events, in which participants have 30 minutes to prepare a seven-minute speech on an assigned topic; and interpretative events, where students act out an interpretation of a monologue.
During Parliamentary tournaments, usually lasting three days, the partnered teams are only allowed 20 minutes after the judge selects a topic to prepare their argument, a proposed resolution and whether they are supporting or opposing the resolution.
“You really have to rely on your coaches and teammates,” said Amy Bullock, a University junior and the team president.
In order to be prepared for whatever topic the judge chooses, team members have specialized topics, which they are constantly researching and updating on a Gmail account. The team can review this information during those 20 minutes of stress and chaos.
Research topics vary from nuclear energy to global warming to Russia, Donaldson said. Bullock refers to the Gmail briefs as the team’s CliffsNotes.
“The research skills you get from this class are skills you can’t find anywhere else,” said Ciara Thomson, captain of individual events.
When students are clueless about a topic, they can look to the briefs, but when they personally disagree with the point they are arguing, there is nowhere to turn.
“You are absolutely forced to think from a point of view, whether you agree with it or not,” Bullock said. “Debate forces you to research and give the proper amount of credit to other viewpoints.”
Donaldson said students gain skills that are applicable to whatever major or career they are interested in. Public speaking and persuasion are necessary skills in all fields of work and life, he said.
“It’s one of the bigger societal fears, but it’s something everybody has to deal with,” he said. “It’s all about communication.”
Bullock said not only has she gained valuable research skills, but also self-confidence, and she always feels comfortable “piping up” in class.
While students receive a great education, Donaldson believes they don’t have a forum where they can discuss and argue what they learn, which the Forensics team offers.
“It’s a great opportunity to apply things you learn in class in a competitive environment,” he said.
In addition to Forensics nationals, held in late March and early April, the team is hosting the Bower Aly High School Tournament from Feb. 23-25, which will bring hundreds of high school forensics competitors to the University.
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