Speech and Debate
Membership Information

MEETING SCHEDULE

Organizational Meeting:
When: Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 5:30 P.M.
Where: Walker Center 255
Why: All extemporaneous speakers and debaters meet to discuss performance pieces, debate current topics, update current files, debate practice rounds and discuss travel plans to upcoming tournaments. It's a great time for all members to stay connected.


* Please Note: the schedule is subject to change at various points throughout the semester such as during mid-term exams, after all tournaments for the semester are over, and other situational factors.

LEVELS OF INVOLVEMENT

It probably goes without saying that competing for the speech and debate team is a lot of work and demands a great deal of time, including but not limited to preparation, practice, travel, and competition. Many people have expressed an interest in being involved with the team but have not had the time to commit to the rigorous schedule. We wish all interested people could become road warriors with us; but at the same time, we realize that is not always possible and we want to welcome everybody from the OCU community to be a part of our team. Hopefully, these “Levels of Involvement” can accommodate the schedules and desires of all interested people.

1) “Friends of the Team”: Is an e-mail list that goes out to administrators, faculty, students and anybody else who has expressed an interest in keeping in touch. These individuals might also consider occasionally helping out with on campus events such as judging at a high school tournament and/or hosting a public debate on campus.

2) “Regional Competitors”: These members are very much interested in competition, but just may not have the time to commit to the full travel and preparation schedule. However, they do contribute to the weekly organizational and practice meetings so that they can compete at an occasional local or regional tournament.

3) “National Competitors”: These members are committed to being successful at the national level. They attend all meetings, prepare to compete in a minimum of 4 events/tournament (debate counts as 2 events) and travel to a minimum of 4 tournaments/semester plus any “nationals” tournaments at the end of the season. In turn, these members are eligible for scholarships, international travel, and summer workshops in beautiful places (such as along the beach in California), when those opportunities become available.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

1) Fun!!! Competition on a team is inherently fun for most people.

2) Mental Exercise!!! My brain always feels like I’ve just played a 3 day game of chess after finishing a tournament.

3) Professional Skills!!! The practice of research, argument development, and other oral communication skills is necessary for a critically thinking, participative member of society. Skills gained through participation in forensics are well documented through academic scholarship.

4) Resume Development!!! Potential employers always look at extracurricular activities when considering the hire of a new college graduate. Speech and Debate is especially impressive to potential employers.

5) Graduate School Opportunities!!! College competitors often times find opportunities through forensics to pay for graduate school or law school as a graduate student assistant coach.

6) Current Events!!! Team members will never be in the dark when it comes to knowing what is going on in the world.

7) Relationships!!! Take advantage of the opportunity to make friends at O.C.U., from around the country, and from around the world.

8) Travel!!! See parts of the world that you might not ever get the chance to see again. (See International Competition for more information).

9) Course Credit!!! Becoming a national competitor satisfies requirements for PHRH 1113 Public Speaking as a general education requirement; and, depending on what events one does, competition could also satisfy major components of PHRH 3113 Argumentation and Debate as well. More options for course credit should become available in the near future.

10) Scholarship Opportunity is available to those who commit a great deal of time and energy to representing O.C.U.