The results are in. The LMC Debate team was ranked near the middle of the pack following the national debate tournament in Anchorage, AK two weekends ago. While those rankings may seem only average, LMC was one of only two community colleges in attendance where they competed alongside the likes of Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.
Ranking highest in speaker points for LMC was Dennis Tekell, who ended up in an eight-way tie for 201st place, almost dead center in the field.
Continuing on, the LMC debate team will be having an intramural debate Friday, May 1 at LMC. While competition in tournaments is a major aspect of the LMC Debate Society, Coach Kasey Gardner said, “we also do public debate and advocacy for the community.”
“It allows our members to actively recruit,” said Coach Marie Arcidiacono, adding, “It’s great for the community because it gives people the opportunity to hone their public speaking skills outside of the classroom.”
Tekell shares the coaches sentiments, indicating that “The intramural and the public debate are chances for us to extend the benefits of conversation, critical thinking and advocacy that debate carries to both the
school and the entire community.”
“Debate and the skills it nurtures allow people to be able to effectively advocate for what matters to them,” Tekell said. “You may have really strong views about the environment or any number of issues, but if you can’t explain your opinion you won’t be able to make much of a difference.”
Registration for the Intramural Debate will begin at 2:45 p.m. in Science
Building, Room SC1-136. The last round of the intramural will be finished at 5:45 p.m.
The proceeding award ceremony will take place at Pittsburg City Hall at 6:30 p.m., which will then be followed by a public debate. The public debate is co-sponsored by the PBAC Health and Wellness Committee.