ISU Junior, Mike Chen, Ties for 9th at National Debate Competition

Mike Chen

POCATELLO - While many Idaho State students were enjoying their spring break, The James M. and Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society was competing at the Pi Kappa Delta (PKD) National Comprehensive Tournament in Lexington, Kentucky for a large part of the break (March 15-22^nd). Idaho State University Junior Mike Chen tied for 9^th place in the Varsity division of International Parliamentary Debate Association (IPDA) Debate.

Left to right: Mike Chen, Sydnee Harris, Erik Ekstrom, Ethan Likness,
Michael Mares, Casey Santee, Cora Bidet.
Right back: Nate Graves. Right front: Jonah Ruhter.

Hosted by the University of Kentucky, the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament featured 87 schools with 1,956 individual events entries and 354 debate entries. There were almost 1,000 individual participants.  Chen finished with a 4-2 (66.7%) winning record and finished as the 14^th individual speaker and 10^th seed. Ultimately, his showing means he tied for 9^th place. IPDA is an individual debate format that features a different topic in each debater.  For each round of debate, the competitors are presented with five topics.  Each side is allowed to strike two of the five.  The remaining topic is the subject for debate. 

In recalling the tournament Mike said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to not only compete at a Nationals tournament for debate, but also place 9th and win a trophy. The competition was tough, and my competitors were fantastic debaters. Not to mention that it was a four day competition, so everybody was pretty tired by the time of the award ceremony. I am so impressed by my fellow debaters, and I am proud to represent both the debate team and Idaho State University as a competitor and a student.”

Left to right: Michael Mares, Erik Ekstrom,
Ethan Likness, Mike Chen, Cora Bidet.

The Rupp Debate Team has enjoyed its share of success. Last March, Seniors Patrick Loftus and Brock Sondrup claimed ISU’s first national championship at the Pi Kappa Delta National Championship in British Parliamentary debate at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.  ISU debaters Jessica Yeats and Izak Dunn placed third at the 2007 Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) National Tournament. In 2008, Jessica Yeats placed second in individual speaking at both the National Debate Tournament (NDT) and CEDA Nationals.

At this year’s PKD National Comprehensive Tournament, Ethan Likness and Cora Bidet also represented Idaho State in IPDA.  Michael Mares, Erik Ekstrom, Sydnee Harris, and Jonah Ruhter represented ISU in British Parliamentary debate. The Idaho State students are members of the PKD honor society which was founded in 1911 and has more than 200 active chapters nationwide.

According to David Bailey, President of PKD, "Speech and debate is vital for the development of oral and written communication skills—the very skills that employers consistently tell us they are looking for. Even more importantly, it fosters research, independent and critical thinking, and leadership—all qualities necessary for a more informed citizenship. In short, there are few educational activities that are as important as speech and debate."

In addition to developing their debate skills, the team had a great time. Mike Chen stated, “Aside from the Debate tournament, I also had a lot of fun on the trip too. We saw a lot of amazing sights, we took plenty of pictures, and we ate food to die for (I recommend the corn bread). My favorite part of the whole trip was our downtown stroll in Kentucky during which we saw a giant, psychedelic mural of Abraham Lincoln. Most of all, I enjoyed spending time with the Debate team. By the end of the trip, everybody looked like they enjoyed themselves. Despite being exhausted by the end of our week-long venture, they still kept positive attitudes. I was also incredibly happy that Nancy Legge was able to join in on the fun and even help out. Overall, this trip was a blast in and out of competition with an amazing group of debaters and even greater friends.”

Left to Right: Jonah Ruhter, Sarah Partlow Lefevre, Cora Bidet, Mike Chen, Sydnee Harris, Ethan Likness, Nate Graves, Michael Mares, Erik Ekstrom.

Professor Sarah Partlow Lefevre, Director of the Rupp Debate Society, agrees, “I’m so pleased that all of our debaters were strong team players.  They focused on the process – not the product.  That way, everyone learned a lot.  As our most experienced debater, Mike made us all proud by placing in the top of his field.”

The James M. and Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society, an AISU student organization, is sponsored by K-ISU and in housed in the Department of Communication, Media, and Persuasion in the College of Arts and Letters at Idaho State University. To learn more about the Rupp Debate Team, visit its blog at http://idahostatedebate.blogspot.com/ or find the team on facebook at http://tinyurl.com/ruppdebate. ISU students who have questions about the team, or are interested in joining, should contact Partlow Lefevre at partsara@isu.edu.

Idaho State Junior Places Fourth at Regional Tournament

Mike Chen holding the gavel he received to recognize his 4th place speaker award.

POCATELLO—Members of Idaho State University’s James M. and Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society competed at the Fran-Tanner Invitational debate tournament on Sept. 25-26 at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. ISU Junior Mike Chen won the fourth-ranked individual speaker award in the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) event, which included awards for the top 10 speakers. Overall, there were 50 debate entries in three divisions at the tournament.

Aurora Zantman and Karen Lei competiting
in British Parliamentary Debate.

Universities and colleges from Idaho and Utah participated in the annual, early-season tournament. Other participating team members included: Sophomores Aurora Zantman (Boise, Idaho) and Karen Lei (Chubbuck, Idaho) in British Parliamentary debate, and Freshman Jack Bradley (Pocatello, Idaho) in IPDA. 

“I've been doing debate for over 7 years of my life, so I was ecstatic to hear that I could continue it here at Idaho State University,” said Chen, a transfer student who recently joined the team. “I loved participating at the tournament. It reminded me why I loved debate in the first place.”

The James M. and Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society has a history of success. In March, Seniors Patrick Loftus (Coeur D’Alene, Idaho) and Brock Sondrup (Idaho Falls, Idaho) won the Pi Kappa DeltaNational Championship in British Parliamentary debate at Ohio University inAthens, Ohio. It was ISU’s first national debate championship. In 2007, ISUplaced third at the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) NationalTournament. In 2008, ISU won second place speaker awards at both the CEDA National Tournament and the National Debate Tournament.

Jack Bradley preparing to debate.

“Mike is an excellent debater and a strong team player. We thought it would be a rebuilding year after our seniors graduated. But, we’re off to a great start. I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of this year’s competition brings,” said Rupp Debate Team Director Sarah Partlow Lefevre.

            The James M. and Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society is housed in the Department of Communication, Media, and Persuasion in the College of Arts and Letters at Idaho State University. To learn more about the Rupp Debate Team, visit its blog at http://idahostatedebate.blogspot.com/, or find the team on facebook at http://tinyurl.com/ruppdebate. ISU students who have questions about the team, or are interested in joining, should contact Partlow Lefevre at partsara@isu.edu.  

Mike Chen displaying his award on Idaho State's campus near Frazier Hall.

Patrick Loftus and Jason Byron Take Fourth Place in WSCA Tournament

Patrick Loftus, Aurora Zantman, Cameo Curnutt, and Jason Byron at Gonzaga University for the WSCA Debate Tournament. 

Idaho State University’s James M. & Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society placed fourth and was recognized for debate and speaking at the Western States Communication Association (WSCA) tournament over the weekend of February 21st. Senior Patrick Loftus (Coeur d’Alene, ID) and junior Jason Byron (Idaho Falls, ID) were recognized as the 6th and 7th place speakers, were finalists, and placed 4th overall.  

Sixteen schools from across the northwest participated in the tournament hosted at Gonzaga University’s campus, in Spokane WA. There were sixty-one debate entries across three divisions of debate.  Idaho State participated in British Parliamentary debate, a team debate that features a persuasive speaking style on topics pulled from recent news stories.

ISU debaters supported and opposed a variety of topics over five preliminary rounds. Both ISU teams were on the supporting side of instituting quotas based on socio-economic status in public schools, and argued against the food industry having an obligation to make currently unhealthy foods healthier.

Jason Byron & Partick Loftus Prepare to debate at Gonzaga University.

The final round topic focused on media stereotypes. Loftus and Byron were required to support the position that television actors of a minority group have a moral obligation to reject roles that are negative or stereotypical. Their primary argument was that negative or stereotypical roles violate a person’s basic human dignity, and that actors should reject these roles to protect their own sense of human worth.

Also in the final round were teams from Carroll College, Gonzaga University and Northwest University. A panel of judges from regional universities ranked each team in the debate. Idaho State’s team took fourth place and Gonzaga University’s team, who also supported actors’ rejection of stereotypical roles, took first place in the round.

Assistant Director of Forensics, Willow Moline said, “The final round was a tough debate, with excellent arguments from all of the teams involved. Patrick and Jason gave speeches that were compelling and engaging, and reflected the work they have been putting into developing their skills.”

Also competing for ISU were junior Aurora Zantman (Kuna, ID) and freshman Cameo Curnutt (Las Vegas, NV). Zantman and Curnutt took second place in over half of their rounds. Director of Forensics, Sarah Partlow-Lefevre remarked, “Cameo and Aurora did very well, especially considering that this was the first tournament for Cameo. They have grown as debaters and can be very proud of their performance.”  

Cameo Curnutt and Aurora Zantman at the WSCA Debate tournament.  

Idaho State Debate will be travelling to Salem, OR the weekend of the 28th for the Hatfield Memorial Debates, before wrapping up the season in early March at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament, hosted by Ohio University.

Tristin Herup-Wheeler named Second Place Novice speaker award at Western Washington University

Congratulations to Tristin Herrup-Wheeler for winning the Second Place Novice speaker award at Western Washington University last weekend. There were more than 220 individual debaters at the tournament and 150 debate entries. We are proud to represent the Department of Communication, Media, and Persuasion, the Idaho State University College of Arts & Letters, ASISU, and Idaho State University.  <3 ISU Debate

Pictured front to back: Tristin Herup-Wheeler, Alex Klingonsmith, Jason E. Stark, Aurora Linda Zantman, Emma Finch, and Molly Draben

Love Argument? Join Idaho State Debate

The Rupp Debate Society is looking forward to the 2014-2015 school year.  We will be offering competition in National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) debate, British Parliamentary (BP), and Individual Events (IEs).  Thinking of joining us?  Use the contact form on the right to let us know or to ask questions.  #debateargumentsforlife #ruppdebate.