Cal State Fullerton Hosts
National Debate Tournament
Collegiate Competitors Face Off March 27-31
March 24, 2008 :: No. 194
The last five days in March will see debate teams from 50 universities across the country gather on the campus of Cal State Fullerton, the host of this year’s National Debate Tournament. As part of the university’s 50th anniversary, the tournament will feature the top-ranked teams in the nation, with each team attempting to bring home top honors.
“We often refer to this tournament as the equivalent of the NCAA ‘March Madness’ basketball tournament,” said the coach of Cal State Fullerton’s award-winning debate squad, Jon Bruschke, professor of human communication studies.
Under his leadership, Cal State Fullerton’s debate teams have been victorious against the likes of Harvard, Northwestern, UC Berkeley and USC. This is the first time Cal State Fullerton has hosted the national competition.
After a season of debating that began in September and has encompassed more than 50 tournaments and roughly 10,000 debates, the top 78 teams in the nation — including one from Cal State Fullerton — have qualified for this tournament. The winner will go home as the national champion.
“We accept anybody on our debate team as long as they’re willing to put in the work,” Bruschke said. “As a result, we have students with many different majors and backgrounds. The only thing we care about is our debaters’ passion and willingness to work hard. The fact is, if you’re smart and willing to work, we can make you a debater.”
When team members arrive for a debate, they are told whether they will be arguing for the affirmative or negative position on a specific topic. Each member of the team gives a nine-minute speech that is followed by a three-minute cross by the opposing team, concluding with six-minute rebuttals. This requires that debaters be prepared to argue in favor of a position in one round and against it the next.
This year’s topic: “Resolved: that the United States federal government should increase its constructive engagement with the government of one or more of: Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Syria, and it should include offering them a security guarantee(s) and/or a substantial increase in foreign assistance.”
“If you can do it, debate is one of the most intellectually rewarding activities you can imagine,” Bruschke said. “You learn incredible research skills, speaking skills. You need to apply logic and passion. You need to be able to process information almost as quickly as you can hear it. You hear it, know the counter argument and then make the point. For every tournament, you can expect to put in at least 20 to 30 hours of preparation. It’s not for the faint-hearted.”
Besides Cal State Fullerton, other institutions represented in the tournament include: Dartmouth, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Michigan State, Northwestern, San Francisco State, UC Berkeley, University of Kansas, USC and West Georgia.
The National Debate Tournament requires that debaters complete a rigorous qualification process just to enter the event. The top 16 teams in the nation get automatic bids. Others qualify through district tournaments held in February.
The NDT began at the United States Military Academy in 1947 and was organized and coordinated at West Point for the first 20 years. Since 1967, the tournament has been hosted by a different campus each year. Last year, Cal State Fullerton earned one of the automatic bids to enter the tournament, where its team of Luis Magallon and Brenda Montes finished in the top 10 for speakers. Senior Magallon returns this year to compete with a new partner, sophomore Caitlin Gray. Both live in Fullerton.
The opening assembly program Thursday features a keynote address by Cal State Fullerton graduate Terry M. Giles (B.A. speech communication ’70), who attended college on a debate scholarship and honed his skills to become a top criminal attorney in California. Later on, he traded his criminal law practice for a series of successful business ventures and founded the Giles Family Foundation to award charitable gifts. He is the recipient of the 1994 Horatio Alger Award and 1998 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Cal State Fullerton.
| Media Contacts: | Jon Bruschke, Human Communication Studies, |
