They glance around at the other students crowding into the lecture hall. They fidget with their pens and legal pads, ready to write down every word as soon as the speaker begins.
The CX debate students left before dawn earlier this month to attend a debate clinic at SFASU in Nacogdoches. While the day was a success, it wasn’t without a few glitches.
“When we first arrived we had a few problems with finding a parking spot,” junior debater Mollie Dittmar said. “After finally finding somewhere to park, we easily found the building where the clinic was to be held in.”
The clinic was taught by Dr. Rich Edwards, who writes Baylor Briefs, a foundation of CX debate across the country.
“He was very useful in explaining this years topic,” junior debater Colby Menefee said. “It better prepared us as debaters, and it was really cool having an important person in CX debate teach us.”
He explained this years debate topic, which is Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reduce restrictions on legal immigration.
“I haven’t yet debated this year’s topic, but I’m very excited to,” Dittmar said. “I learned so much about how to attack and defend this topic on legal immigration, and I am ready to see how my debate partner and I will do.”
Edwards covered the different angles of the topic and how to debate it.
“He explained different affirmative cases and negative cases with this topic,” senior debater Andrea Garcia said. “It really helped me know how to better attack this year’s topic on legal immigration.”
The clinic was especially useful for the first-year debaters.
“I enjoyed learning about legal immigration and how to argue it appropriately,” junior Nishit Tailor said. “At first, I was afraid to debate as a novice debater, but the clinic made me confident for future debate competitions.”
The students grabbed a bite at a local barbeque stand before heading home.
“We stopped at a delicious country cafe before going home,” Tailor said. “We ate and spoke to one another about what we learned at the clinic.”
